Make the most of today and tomorrow
South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday September 9th)
Best Days: Both coasts today and tomorrow
Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)
- Moderate sized, inconsistent W/SW swell for tomorrow AM, easing, smaller Wed
- E/NE tending N/NW then variable winds on the Mid tomorrow, N/NW tending variable ahead of weak S/SE sea breezes down South
- Strong S/SW-S winds kicking in from dawn Wed
- Weak mix of swells Thu with E/SE-S/SE winds
- Moderate sized SW groundswell building late Fri PM, peaking Sat AM
- Variable winds Fri AM, tending onshore
- Strong E/SE-SE winds Sat, strong E/SE but easing Sun
- Smaller surf Mon with E/NE-NE tending SE winds
Recap
The Mid Coast held in the 2ft range most of the weekend with the odd bigger one on the favourable parts of the tide but with unfavourable winds, best late Saturday as winds went variable.
The South Coast offered the best of it with clean conditions in protected spots all weekend under a persistent W/NW-NW flow.
Today a frontal system that passed under the state yesterday has generated a moderate sized SW swell for today with less favourable W’ly winds. The Mid Coast is bumpy and to 2ft or so.
Great conditions and stacked lines Saturday morning
This week and weekend (Sep 10 - 15)
Today is the biggest of the week, with the three mix of swells expected to slowly taper off in size over the coming days.
Tomorrow will be the pick of it for both coasts as winds ease off and tend light E/NE across the Mid Coast and N/NW down South with weak sea breezes, variable inside the gulf.
Swell wise, a long-range W/SW swell generated by a healthy fetch of strong to gale-force W/SW winds projecting towards and then under Western Australia is due to peak tomorrow morning.
Inconsistent 2ft+ sets are due on the favourable parts of the tide inside the gulf, 3-4ft across Middleton before easing Wednesday.
Unfortunately winds for Wednesday now look poor with a trough due to bring an onshore change on or shortly after dawn for both coasts, with strong S/SW-S winds due most of the day, with an outside chance of variable winds on both coasts early. It’s not worth setting the alarm early for with the easing swell though.
The trough will clear and weaken on Thursday allowing winds to ease and tend light E/SE across both coasts during the morning but with a weak, localised S/SW windswell from Wednesday’s change.
Into Friday, winds look offshore again for the Mid Coast, likely variable down South before tending S’ly.
A good new pulse of SW groundswell is due to arrive through the afternoon and likely peak Saturday morning across the region, with the source being a broad, deepening polar low south-west of the country tomorrow evening.
An initial prefrontal fetch of gale to severe-gale W/NW winds are due to be followed by a broader, slightly weaker fetch of W/SW winds.
This should generate two separate pulses of groundswell, the first for later Friday, with a secondary for Saturday. The Mid Coast is due to be mostly 1-1.5ft, with the rare 2ft’er on Saturday, with Middleton coming in at a better 4ft Saturday morning.
Unfortunately behind the swell generating low, a high will move in bringing strengthening E/SE-SE winds on Saturday, string E/SE-E on Sunday.
Into next week, smaller, reinforcing pulses of S/SW groundswell are due into early next week along with a slow improvement in local winds. More on this Wednesday.