It's like this and like that and like this and uh
SURF:
Mixed bag this past week with nice weather, windy weather,
NW windswell, and NW groundswell. Today a quick moving cold front made a mess
of our small surf but will exit the region tonight.
For Friday, look for
leftover chest high sets from the NW and cleaner conditions. On Saturday we get
a boost from the SSW and NW for chest high plus surf and corresponding nice
weather finally. That holds into Sunday. The OC will see inconsistent shoulder
high sets as they’ll be better situated to catch the SSW angle. Not the biggest
this weekend- but fun.
Water temps are 60 and tides this weekend are 2’ at
sunrise, down to 0’ mid-morning, and up to 3’ late afternoon.
FORECAST:
The SSW/NW combo backs off Monday/Tuesday for waist high+
surf then more NW fills in on Wednesday/Thursday for chest high sets.
On it’s
heels is another steep angled S swell on Thursday/Friday that will give us
chest high surf again with shoulder high+ surf towards the OC. One fly in the ointment
is a chance of another weak cold front coming through the area late next week. Make
sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf.
WEATHER:
Cold out today. Feels like winter won’t go away. Ok- not
that cold- but high pressure fortunately will set up this weekend for temps in
the mid-70’s and sunny skies. That lasts into Wednesday. As mentioned above,
forecast charts show a cut off low milling around Southern California late next
week with maybe a chance of showers and at least some winds again. Just your typical
spring.
BEST BET:
Saturday should be fun with NW/SSW or next Thursday with
leftover NW and building S… if that forecasted low pressure doesn’t show up.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Hurricanes, for selfish reasons, are good news to surfers
for of course. When they get big and unruly though, the negatives outweigh the
positives. And when they get truly destructive, it’s just time to retire
certain storms and put them out of sight and out of mind. As in the case of
Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate in 2017.
Due to the extensive damage caused in the United States and
Caribbean last year, the World Meteorological Organization’s Region IV
Hurricane Committee has officially retired these names. Storm names are retired
if they were so deadly or destructive that the future use of the name would be
insensitive - otherwise names are reused by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center on
a six-year cycle.
The committee also selected the replacement names for
Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate with Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel respectively
that will first appear in the 2023 list of storm names.
Including these four additions, there have been 86 names
retired from the Atlantic basin list since 1953, when storms began to be named.
The 2005 hurricane season has the most retired names (five) for one season.
So why Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate?
Hurricane Harvey became a category 4 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson scale before making landfall along the middle Texas coast on
Aug. 25. The storm then stalled, with its center remaining over or near the
Texas coast for four days, dropping historic rainfall amounts, of up to five
feet, causing catastrophic flooding in parts of southeastern Texas. Harvey is
the second costliest hurricane in U.S. history (after inflation), behind only
Katrina in 2005. At least 68 people died from the direct effects of the storm
in Texas, the largest number in that state since 1919.
Hurricane Irma was a long-lived hurricane that reached
category 5 intensity on Sept. 5. The catastrophic hurricane made seven
landfalls, four of which occurred as a category 5 hurricane across the northern
Caribbean Islands. Irma made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in the Florida
Keys on Sept. 10 and struck southwestern Florida as a category 3 the same day.
Irma caused 44 direct deaths as a result of its strong winds, heavy rain and
high surf. In the U.S., seven direct deaths were reported, and an additional 85
indirect deaths occurred, 80 of which were in Florida. Hundreds more were
injured preparing for the storm, during it or in its aftermath.
Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Dominica as a category
5 on Sept. 19, and later devastated Puerto Rico as a high-end category 4
hurricane. It also inflicted serious damage on some of the other islands of the
northeastern Caribbean Sea. Maria is the third costliest hurricane in U.S.
history, behind Harvey and Katrina. Maria caused 31 direct deaths with 34
missing in Dominica, and two direct deaths in Guadeloupe. In Puerto Rico, the
death toll stands at 65, which includes an unknown number of indirect deaths.
Hurricane Nate crossed northeastern Nicaragua and eastern
Honduras as a tropical storm, then made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast as
a category 1 hurricane. It brought rainfall that caused significant impacts in
Central America, where media reports indicate that these caused 44 deaths in
the region. An additional fatality in Panama was due to a “shipwreck,” bringing
the death toll directly associated with Nate to 45. An additional nine people
were missing in the region.
Due to these factors, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate are
officially retired. Good riddance!
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Ever seen the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London? Some
serious bling. Priceless they say- but if I was a King or Queen in Europe, I’d
sell those things ASAP and buy this little gem instead. A good investment if I
ever saw it.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Enthralling
Triple Threat: Hypnotist, Juggler, & Ventriloquist
Tiki Idol Or Not, Beat Greg Brady Fair And Square
