2023 Has Been Awesome So Far!
SURF:
If the end of 2022 is any indication of how 2023 is going to be, then sign me up!
Lots of great surf this past week and manageable weather resulted in good waves up and down the coast. For Friday we have some leftover NW groundswell and a touch of small SW groundswell for chest high+ surf.
Saturday starts off about the same then our next storm moves ashore that night. Sunday should be a mess with well overhead NW windswell and whitecaps most of the day as the storm exits. And here's the tides, sun, and water temps for the next few days:
- Sunrise and sunset:
- 6:51 AM sunrise
- 4:53 PM sunset
- Water temps are still high 50's
- And tides are back to normal this weekend:
- 4' at sunrise
- 0.5' at lunch
- and back up to 3' at sunset
FORECAST:
Monday should be a transition day with head high+ NW wind/groundswell then more NW groundswell moves in for head high surf on Tuesday. After that, it looks like we're getting another storm mid-week and that means more sloppy overhead NW windswell.
Thursday is another transition day and then yep- you guessed it- another storm potentially next weekend. All in all, it's going to take a bit of wizardry to find some clean windows to surf in the middle of all those storms.
WEATHER:
Impressed yet? Seems like it's been a LOOONG time since we've had a rainy winter; I've forgotten what it's like. As you know by now, we've got another rainmaker headed our way for New Year's Eve. This one looks to be a doozy as models show 1-1.5" of rain by Sunday morning and winds in excess of 35 mph along the coast. We don't even have time to dry out before our next storm arrives mid-week. And if the forecast charts are correct... yet another storm by next Friday! It's still too early to tell how big next week's storms will be, but at least the storm door is open and we have chances of rain. If anything changes between now and then, make sure to follow North County Surf on Twitter!
BEST BET:
Tough to say due to the multiple storms lined up over the ocean like planes coming into LAX. My best guess would be in-between storms- so most likely Friday, Tuesday, and Thursday?...
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Good start to our winter, eh? As mentioned in previous THE Surf Reports, we are in a La Nina climate pattern in which our ocean temps are cooler than average and it USUALLY results in less rain for us in Southern California. Usually. On the rare occasion though, La Ninas can produce above average rainfall for the season. Since our rainy season officially started October 1st, it's still too early to tell if we'll be above our target of 10", but it's encouraging nonetheless. So here's where we stand so far with our rain totals for the season:
- Newport Beach: 3.49" so far which is 111% of normal
- Oceanside: 3.43" so far which is 108% of normal
- San Diego: 2.71" so far which is 98% of normal
Not to rain on your parade (sorry, bad pun), but last year, Newport had 5" of rain at this point in time (159% of normal), Oceanside had 5.13" (161%), and San Diego 3.32" (120%) and you know how that story ended- by the season's wend we were well below average and our drought persisted. So it's anyone's guess if this La Nina will be typical (below average rain) or if it will flip the script and we end up with above average rain and will put a dent in our drought. If the storms in the next 7 days though actually deliver, we could see over 3" of additional rain when it's all said and done which would really be a good start and 2023 in general.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Everything in life is about making the right choices. Like these waves here. Do you play it safe and surf the inside mush or do you throw caution to the wind and paddle over the ledge on that outside drainer. In 2023, I hope you pick the obvious answer.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Ageless Wonder
Father Time
Only Surfer To Win Titles In The IPS, ASP, and WSL Tours
Ageless Wonder
Father Time
Only Surfer To Win Titles In The IPS, ASP, and WSL Tours
