THE Surf Report

 

'Tis The Season

SURF:

'Tis the season is a phrase you normally hear in December but I'm breaking it out early. Why? Because 'tis the season for the N Pacific to come alive! Whether you're a fan of snow or storm surf, our fall is starting off with a bang. The Sierras and Rockies are getting snow measured in feet, we've already had a couple cold fronts in So-Cal drops some showers, and our attention has turned from SW swells to NW swells.

The past week started clean before a cold front moved in yesterday and gave us 6-8' bumpy surf last night. 

The NW windswell has since subsided to 1/2 of that, but we do have new smaller SW filling in underneath tomorrow. Look for waist to chest high combo swell on Friday with cleaner conditions. That lasts into Sunday morning. And here's the tides, sun, and water temps for the next few days:

• Don't forget it's daylight saving time this weekend!
• Sunrise and sunset for Saturday:
  • 7:10 AM sunrise  
  • 5:54 PM sunset 
• Sunrise and sunset for Sunday:
• 6:11 AM (surf before work again!)
• 4:53 PM (yikes that's early!)

• Take a guess what the NW wind today did to water temps. You guessed it: Dropped it. Water temps are 65 at best in SD and high 50's in LA! 

• And tides are this weekend are:
• 5.5' in the morning
• 2.5' at after lunch
• and 4' at sunset

FORECAST:

Even though we haven't received a ton of rain so far this fall (more on that below), it's nice to see a string of low pressure systems moving down the coast so early in the season. With that being said... we have another cold front forecasted to move down the coast. 

As it does, look for the NW windswell to pick up again on Tuesday and last through Thursday possibly. Most spots should be shoulder high. 

Further out, models show another storm forming in the N Pacific which could send us more NW mid-month. We may also see some SW groundswell around that time too. Nothing big, but enough to get the OC into the game. 

WEATHER:

Good to see all these cold fronts coming though our area so early in the season. Not a lot of rainfall (more on that below), but it's keeping the Santa Ana winds away. Look for nice cool sunny skies this weekend with temps near 70 along the coast. By Monday, the clouds thicken as the next low pressure system heads our way. Models hint that we may see showers from Tuesday through Thursday. Not a lot of moisture with this system but I'll take it. If anything changes between now and then, make sure to follow North County Surf on Twitter!

BEST BET:

This weekend with chest high sets from the NW/SW or my personal favorite- storm surf on Wednesday! Which oddly enough, is the same thing I said last week. Eerie. 

NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Even though we're in a La Nina weather pattern (less rain than average forecasted for our winter), the early season cold fronts we've been seeing are a sight for sore eyes. The rain the past few days were only a drop in the bucket, but here's some totals:

• Upper elevations of the San Bernardino Mountains: 4-8" of snow
• Lower elevations of the San Bernardino Mountains: 2" of rain
• SD/OC coastal areas: 0.15-0.25" of rain

Winds were the real story this morning with gusts of:

• 50-70 mph in the local mountains
• 35-50 mph along the coast

So where do we stand with seasonal rainfall? (rainy season runs from October 1st to September 30th):

• Newport Beach: 0.48", 81% of normal
• Oceanside: 0.43", 62% of normal
• San Diego: 0.16", 30% of normal

Hopefully with next week's showers (0.25"?), we'll be closer to 100% of normal for Newport, 75% in Oceanside, and 50% in San Diego. But we're still a loooooong way away from the end of the season (September 30th) and nowhere near our average of 10" of rain. But who's counting?

PIC OF THE WEEK:

This set up is easy like Sunday morning. Especially so this Sunday as we'll have an extra hour of sleep! 

Keep Surfing, 
Michael W. Glenn
Triumphant
Celeb
When I Win Powerball I'm Going To Use It All For R&D On A 1 Mil Solar Heated Fullsuit