Like eating fruitcake for Christmas.
SURF:
What a busy week for waves and weather.
Lots of surf the past few days but on again/off again weather conditions. It's like eating fruitcake- you never know what you're going to get! Today was no different as the forecast called for strong S winds and overhead surf but instead we got small but rideable waves and E winds. For this weekend, the clouds exit the area and the surf does too unfortunately.
We'll have leftover NW swell tomorrow morning for chest high surf (bigger in SD) and Saturday is waist high+. By Sunday it's pretty flat. Water temps are still high 50's and here's what going on with the tides and sun this weekend:
- Sunrise and sunset are:
- 6:49 AM
- 4:49 PM
- And tides have a pretty big swing this weekend (dropping a foot an hour from mid-morning to sunset):
- 4' at sunrise
- 5.5' mid-morning
- -1' at sunset
FORECAST:
More wild & woolly weather & waves are on tap to start the week.
First up is more NW wind/groundswell as another storm rolls into town on Monday. Look for head high NW on Monday but messy conditions and showers likely. Wednesday morning drops slightly with chest high sets before another NW groundswell arrives for overhead sets in the afternoon. That should last into Friday morning. After that, models show the Pacific taking a little breather. Make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf if anything changes between now and then.
BEST BET:
Wednesday-Friday of next week looks to be the call as we should have new NW and no storms in sight.
WEATHER:
This has been one heck of a start to our winter. After October and most of November left us high and dry, December has been unrelenting in the rain department. Last night and today saw more showers (1-2") and we've got more on the way next week. Before I get ahead of myself, the storm today will exit the region tonight and we'll have clear cool skies for the weekend. Then another storm looks poised to come ashore on Monday for another round of showers. At first glance, models don't show this storm being too big but we're still 4 days away and anything can change between now and then. After Tuesday of next week, high pressure should be in control and we're back to clear cool skies.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Speaking of rainy weather, we're right in the middle of it if you haven't noticed already. Which is fine since I'm tired of hearing about droughts and wildfires. December happens to be our 4th wettest month (March is 3rd and January/February are basically tied for 1st and 2nd) which means there's plenty more coming. So where do we stand after today's rain for our annual averages?
- Newport Beach: 4.55" so far. Compared to last year, we were at 5.54" (pretty impressive) and the average this time of year should be 3.29"
- Oceanside: 5.56" so far. Compared to last year, we were at 3.94" which was still above the average of 3.14" this time of year.
- San Diego: 5.14" so far. Compared to last year, we were at 4.16". The 5.14" this year is almost 200% of our normal average of 2.75"
If next Monday's storm adds a little to the bucket (maybe 0.5"-0.75"), the totals above may be around 5" for Newport and 6" for Oceanside and San Diego. The yearly total for our rainy season is 13" for Newport/Oceanside and 10.5" for San Diego, so you can see we're about 1/2 way there with 3 more solid months of rain ahead of us...
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Random English secret spot #AD-4863.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
A Sight For Sore Eyes
Only 364 Days Until Xmas!
A Dolphin In The Water And A Sea Slug On Land
