I find it a little odd...
SURF:
Don't you find it a little odd that the weather has been great the past few months and just as soon as this virus hits- the rain starts! It's almost like the Pacific is telling everyone to stay home and be safe. I'm just saying.
On that note, the Pacific really has shut down in the swell department and in return has sent us more rain than surf. The result is bumpy small surf and dirty water. Just 2 more reasons to heed the government's recommendations and not crowd the line up at Lowers or pack the parking lot at Cardiff. I got a feeling that as soon as this virus gets under control, the surf will start firing. I'm just saying. Until then, here's what we got for the upcoming weekend: Friday has semi-clean conditions and waist high S/NW swells. Saturday looks to be sunny but just waist high surf again. We have a slight bump from the WNW late on Sunday- but we're just talking about waist high+ surf. Here's the tides and sun this weekend:
- Sunrise and sunset are:
- 6:50 AM sunrise
- 7:01 PM sunset
- Water temps are back to the high 50's unfortunately
- And tides this weekend are:
- 5' in the mornings
- -1' mid-afternoon
- 3' at sunset
FORECAST:
Our lack of surf lately has been the product of 2 things:
- Storms in the N Pacific have started off Japan and before they fully form, high pressure above Hawaii has pushed the storms into the Aleutians. They then roll into the Pacific NW and drop down into California. We get the rain but we don't get groundswells since the prime area to develop- between Hawaii and California- has been blocked by high pressure.
- The 2nd reason is that the S Pacific hasn't kicked into gear yet- but it's trying to.
What does that mean for us in the near future? We've got another weak cold front coming through on Monday and as it does, it will kick up some bumpy chest high NW swell.
Tuesday is still showery (and bumpy) then we could get a more potent storm late Wednesday into Thursday with head high+ NW storm surf.
As far as the S Pacific goes, we had a little bump today that should send chest high sets next weekend. Make sure to check out Twitter/North County Surf if anything changes between now and then.
BEST BET:
- Monday with an increase in small NW swell but questionable conditions
- Late Wednesday/Thursday if you like storm surf
- Next weekend with a little SW bump and hopefully cleaner conditions
WEATHER:
Seems like it's all or nothing with the weather lately. After a great start over the holidays, January/February went dry, and now we're getting all of our winter rain in... spring? Beggars can't be choosers. We received 1/2" the past couple days (along with 3" last week) and we're due for more in the coming days. For Friday, it's cool with a couple clouds floating overhead. Saturday is sunny and cool. Sunday starts off partly sunny before the showers kick in Monday/Tuesday and more consistent rain Wednesday/Thursday. Who knows what next weekend has in store but I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's sun and not rain. As far as temps go, it will be low 50's at night and low 60's during the day for most of the week.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Now that the rain has returned (and acts like it's not going anywhere), what's our rain totals look like for the season?
- Newport Beach: 9.06" so far. 79% of normal.
- Oceanside: 11.17" so far. 98% of normal
- San Diego: 9.40" so far. 109% of normal
Compared to last year, which was well above average, most locations were around 130% of normal for this time of year. As far as the rest of the season goes, we still have until September 30th. Most of our rainfall will end by April of course, so we have the following to catch up to:
Newport Beach: 9.06" so far but we need to hit 13.30" for the season. Oceanside: 11.17" so far but we need to hit 13.66" for the season. San Diego: 9.40" so far but we need to hit 10.34" for the season.
If we get around 1" next week, San Diego should hit the mark for the season and Oceanside will be close. Newport Beach though has a ways to go- even with April showers, it most likely won't hit it's mark this season. But considering how unpredictable the weather is now, anything can happen!
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Until wave pools can replicate an 8' A-frame, the ocean is still my go to choice. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure there's nothing in a wave pool that will bite, sting, or eat you; not until they put a wave pool in Sea World that is.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Naturally Optimistic
My March Madness Bracket Is Still Perfect!
Working On A Vaccine That Lets You Surf After It Rains
