Western Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday August 4th)

Best Days: Tomorrow all locations (later in the South West), Wednesday, Thursday selected spots

Features of the Forecast (tl;dr)

• Easing surf tomorrow with variable winds in the north, pre-dawn SW tending variable across the South West through the AM
• Large SW groundswell Wed AM, easing with E-E/NE tending variable winds
• Smaller Thu with fresh E/NE tending N/NE winds
• Small-mod sized reinforcing S/SW groundswell Fri AM, easing with strengthening N/NW tending W winds
• Strong N/NW-NW winds Sat with a late increase in W/SW groundswell
• Large mix of W/SW swells Sun with W winds
• Easing surf Mon with variable winds in metro regions through the AM

Recap

The weekend was a write-off surf wise, while today we’ve got a mix of large to extra-large SW groundswell on the ease, mixed in with stormy energy from yesterday, best across Perth though still lumpy, a bit too raw in Mandurah and poor across the South West.

This week and weekend (Aug 5 - 10)

The coming days are the best of the period, with today’s oversized mix of swells due to continue to ease into tomorrow morning under variable E/NE-NE winds across metro locations, while pre-dawn SW winds in the South West should swing variable S/SE through the morning, more SE later.

Conditions will still be very lumpy though and raw in the South West with sets easing from the 8-10ft range, 3ft+ Mandurah and 3ft Perth. With winds remaining light all day and shifting more offshore late in the South West, we can expect the surf to improve gradually all day.

Very late in the day we might see a large, new SW groundswell filling in, though Wednesday morning will reveal the peak.

The source is another strong polar frontal progression that fired up south-west of us last night, with a great fetch of W/SW-SW gales produced through our south-western and southern swell windows.

Size wise there’s no real change to the outlook since last Friday with the South West expected to come in at 10ft on the sets, 3ft Mandurah and 2-3ft Perth under great E-E/NE tending variable winds.

The swell will ease all day Wednesday, smaller into Thursday but a fresh E/NE tending N/NE breeze should open plenty of options. The South West looks to ease back from 6ft+, 2-3ft Mandurah and 2ft+ Perth.

Come Friday, a final pulse of S/SW groundswell is due from the current burst of activity, with a late strengthening polar front (in our swell window) due to maintain 4-6ft sets in the South West, small to the north but with poor, strengthening N/NW tending W winds.

Looking at the weekend ahead, and unfortunately for weekend warriors a weak mid-latitude frontal system will bring strengthening N/NW-NW winds on Saturday, shifting W’ly on Sunday with a mix of new large mid-period swell and groundswell.

Next Monday looks like the best chance for the metro regions with easing surf under variable winds. More on this in the coming updates.