Sorry for the late report, I just woke up from New Year's Eve.
SURF:
The rain has stopped but the surf hasn't. Plenty of waves this past week with on again/off again winds. Today was pretty clean and we had leftover NW groundswell for overhead sets.
For Saturday, the surf drops with only chest high sets, but we have more NW windswell arriving Sunday afternoon for shoulder high sets. Water temps are still high 50's and here's what going on with the tides and sun this weekend:
- Sunrise and sunset are:
- 6:51 AM
- 4:56 PM
If you haven't noticed, the days are getting longer now that the winter solstice (December 20th) is behind us! Sure it's only 5 more minutes of sun each day, but still.
- And tides are mellow this weekend:
- 4' at sunrise
- 1' at lunch
- 3' at sunset
FORECAST:
The NW windswell mentioned above for Sunday afternoon peaks on Monday morning for shoulder high surf. Models are showing a Santa Ana offshore wind event too for Monday morning through Tuesday. Good news is that it will be offshore Monday morning. Bad news is that the offshore winds will kill the swell so Tuesday looks flat.
Wednesday afternoon though picks up again with more short interval NW windswell and we're back to head high sets on Thursday.
After that, we've got more NW windswell- with a touch more groundswell finally- showing around the 12th of January. And further out, looks like more storms on the horizon so we should be set through at least the 3rd week of January with waves. Who knows when the rain will return though. Make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf if anything changes between now and then.
BEST BET:
Monday morning with peaking swell and offshore winds. Or more swell again towards the 9th or the 12th or the..
WEATHER:
Well the rain is gone. For now. Looks like we have the OPPOSITE of rain starting late Sunday and rolling into Tuesday with Santa Ana offshore winds. Temps will be mild this weekend then warm to the mid-70's on Monday/Tuesday. High pressure breaks down mid-week and we're back to cooler conditions and night/morning low clouds/fog. Based on the models, looks like best guess for rain is at least mid-month.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
With mild weather on tap this weekend, I thought it was time for THIS DAY IN WEATHER HISTORY!:
1995: Heavy rain started on 1/3 ended on this day. The result was flash flooding in Seal Beach, Norco, and Oceanside. A mudslide killed six at La Conchita near Santa Barbara. Six to 12 inches of snow fell in the mountains. Snow also fell in the high desert, with two inches of heavy, wet snow down to 2300 feet. 3.16 inches of rain fell in Riverside, the wettest January day on record and the second wettest day on record.
1987 (Epic El Nino year by the way): Heavy rain and snow from a powerful Pacific storm that started on this day and ended on 1/5 produced one to two inches plus of rainfall in the northern Inland Empire. 2.20 inches fell at Chino. Lots of street flooding occurred, including road washouts in the high desert. 1.68 inches fell at San Diego, Cuyamaca Park 2.73 inches, Julian 2.59 inches, Lemon Grove 1.52 inches, National City 1.40 inches, El Cajon 1.34 inches, Escondido 1.30 inches, Coronado 0.95 inch and Del Mar 0.80 inch. Two died on slick roads in San Diego County. The San Diego River flooded Mission Valley, stranding cars and closing roads, including Friars Rd. Lots of street flooding in Pacific Beach, Sorrento Valley and Spring Valley near the Sweetwater River. Sewage spilled into Mission Bay. Road washouts occurred in the high desert. Scattered power outages also resulted. Mud slides occurred on the Sunrise Highway. A mud slide in Pomona blocked traffic on the 60 freeway. A ski resort in Big Bear received up to two feet of snow at the higher lifts. Up to 15 inches fell elsewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains. Nine inches fell in Mt. Laguna, four inches in Cuyamaca Park and a few inches in Julian.
1974: Heavy rain and snow began on 1/3 and ended on 1/5. One drowning death occurred near Temecula. Many highways were closed because of flooding and mud slides. Over 18 inches of snow fell in the San Bernardino Mountains. Flurries were reported in Palm Springs. As a result, structures and a few roofs collapsed due to the weight of snow. Power lines and trees snapped.
1971: It was 3° in Idyllwild, the third lowest temperature on record. It was 29° at Pt. Loma and Chula Vista, 28° in La Mesa, 26° in El Cajon, 24° in Lakeside, 8° at Mt. Laguna, and 5° at Palomar Mountain. Ice skating was done on Lake Cuyamaca.
1959: A strong winter storm hit the region on this day and on 1/5. Roof damage and animals were killed at San Diego. Considerable property damage resulted from flooding and mud slides. Rattlesnake Creek in Poway inundated the city.
1955: High surf from a big storm hit the coast on this day and on 1/5. Coastal damage occurred in San Diego and Orange Counties. Boats and harbors were damaged.
1949: It was 28° in LA, the lowest temperature on record (also observed on 2/6/1883 and 1/7/1913). It was 8° at Palomar Mountain, the lowest temperature on record, which also occurred on 12/30/1947.
1902: It was 81° in San Diego on 1/3 and on this day, the highest temperature of all of 1902, remarkably in January!
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Pros and cons of the Superbank:
Cons:
- CROWDED
- White Lightening, Parko, and Dingo somehow don't hear you hooting behind them
- All the rest of the locals don't hear you hooting behind them
- Limited swell window
- 12 year olds rip harder than you do
Pros:
- Warm water
- Waves so long your legs turn to jelly
- Sand bottom barrels
- It's an honor to watch White Lightening, Parko, and Dingo surf in front of you
- The fun doesn't stop once you hit the sand
There you have it- it's a tie. If you have $1500 for a plane ticket, decide for yourself...
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Constructive
My Resolution Is To Stop Adding A Year To My Age On My Birthday
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