Waddya Say No Wetsuits, Just Wear My Star Trunks.
SURF:
We are THIS close to hitting 70 degree water temps and wearing trunks on the 1st day of summer. Not bad for a La Nina. But before I get ahead of myself, let's talk about our recent run of surf. 2024 has been a heck of a lot fun so far. We've even had a couple big NW and SW swells to boot. The real jewel though is the consistency. Amazing that 2023 was awful in the surf and water temp department and 2024 is a complete 180. For this weekend, we've got a touch of new NW windswell in the water on Friday for chest high sets- mainly towards SD.
On Saturday, the NW starts to back off while new SW builds for more chest high sets. For Sunday, the NW windswell is tiny while the SW peaks with shoulder high sets towards the OC. All in all a fun weekend of surf- any maybe a chance to wear boardshorts! (More on that below). And here’s the sun, tides, and water temps for the upcoming weekend:
- Sunrise and sunset:
- 5:41 AM sunrise
- 8:00 PM sunset
- And just like that, it's the longest day of the year on Friday! Which also means the days will get shorter from here on out until December 20th (6:47 AM and 4:47 PM)
- Water temps are 69 and could be climbing slightly this weekend (more on that below in News of the Week)
- And tides are a HOOT this weekend:
- an extreme low of -1' at sunrise
- up to 3.5' at noon
- down to 2.5' mid-afternoon
- and up to a big 6' at sunset
FORECAST:
The fun SW on Sunday rolls into Monday with more chest high+ waves. On Tuesday, we have a slight uptick in NW windswell again- while the SW backs off- and we may see some fun, small combo swell on Tuesday for waist high+ surf.
The rest of the week looks small and our next shot of surf will be towards Sunday the 29th from a compact storm off Antarctica today. Don't expect much late next weekend- just some waist high S swell with the odd chest high set.
Further out, models show some storm activity later next week in the southern hemisphere which could give us fun to good SW swell towards the July 4th weekend. And nothing to report from the tropics- which should be expected during a La Nina summer. If anything changes between now and then, make sure to follow North County Surf/X (formerly known as Twitter).
WEATHER:
We got a heat wave inland and pleasant weather for the beaches this weekend IF... the low clouds burn off. Look for 110+ degrees in our deserts, 90+ along I-15, 80's in our coastal valleys, and low to mid-70's at the beach. Here's what's in store for the upcoming week:
- Friday/Saturday: Low clouds burning off by mid-day. Temps low 70's at the beach and high 70's a couple miles inland. Lows in the mid-60's.
- Sunday: Low clouds MAY hang around at the beaches if it continues to warm inland. Temps mid-70's at the beaches and maybe 80 just inland? Lows in the mid-60's.
- Monday and beyond: Chance of sun by lunch and temps 75/65.
BEST BET:
- Sunday with fun SW. Might be Emergency Boardriding System time if we're wearing trunks...
- Next Sunday with small but fun SW.
- Or celebrate America during the long July 4th weekend with new good SW swell!
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
For those of you that got the 'star trunks' reference on this week's THE Surf Report, I applaud you. For those of you that didn't, you must be under 50. Regardless, nothing says summer like a pair of Quiksilver star trunks and Slater at Lowers. Speaking of wearing trunks in the summer, it all comes down to water temps. Let's have a look at some stats:
Trunks on the first day of summer as we all know is not a given, in fact, it's a rarity unless you're a polar bear. Our constant mild WSW winds the past few weeks has pooled up our water in the Southern CA bight and it's been warming ever since. The past few days in Southern CA has seen 68-69 degree water temps and with the minor heat wave this weekend, we could see our first 70 degree water temps of the year- and time for the majority of us to wear boardshorts (i.e. trunks).
Trunks on the first day of summer as we all know is not a given, in fact, it's a rarity unless you're a polar bear. Our constant mild WSW winds the past few weeks has pooled up our water in the Southern CA bight and it's been warming ever since. The past few days in Southern CA has seen 68-69 degree water temps and with the minor heat wave this weekend, we could see our first 70 degree water temps of the year- and time for the majority of us to wear boardshorts (i.e. trunks).
Would 70 degrees be an anomaly in the historical sense of water temps in SD for this time of year? Yes- but not by much. We should be at 67 degrees and today is 69 in some locations. And if we hit 70 this weekend, that's not too far off. So what gives with the slightly warmer than average water temps during a La Nina?! I'm guessing the culprit is that our overall water temps in our oceans are warmer than normal and it's offsetting the current La Nina in some parts of the Pacific.
For the warmest water temps we've felt here in SD, that happened in September of 2022 as our last El Nino was building. It also coincided with the the CRAZIEST swing in water temps I have EVER experienced- and I've been surfing for 40 years. We had 75 degrees on the weekend of August 24th. Then it dropped to 62 September 1st. Then Scripps hit 82 degrees on September 7th. Down 13 degrees, then up 20 degrees- all in the span of 2 weeks.
On the flip side, last summer we had constant NW winds which resulted in cold upwelling. Our water temp on the first day of summer last year? A brisk 64. Just think- we could be 6 degrees warmer than last year at this time. And if you have short term memory, let's not forget that last April had one of the coldest water temps on record here in Southern CA- an unbelievable 52 degrees! (And if you're interested, our coldest water temps usually occur in April anyway from all the NW wind, with an average of 58 degrees).
For those of you that are keeping track of all these water temps I've thrown at you today, look at this:
- Our water temp hit a peak of 82 degrees on September 7th, 2022
- And in the span of 7 months, the water plummeted to 52 degrees on April 4th, 2023
- That's a swing of 30 degrees and over 4 degrees a month!
With all of that being said, let's play a game here. Let's say you have 3 options to choose from for yearly water temps. Would you take:
- A swing of 30 degrees- from 82 to 52. So Hawaii like temps in the summer but a hooded 5/4/3 in the winter?
- A normal average of 68 in the summer and 58 in the winter. So trunks may be hard to come by but the worst you wear in the winter is a 4/3.
- Or just keep the water an average of 63 year round?...
PIC OF THE WEEK:
For those of you that may not know, I won the Powerball a couple years ago and just closed escrow on this compound in the Maldives. How sick is this set up- pickleball and tennis for days on end!!! What- you think I bought it for the surf?
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Industrious
Was Kidding About The Whole Powerball Thing- It Was Mega Millions
Made An Eco Friendly Wax Made Of Deceased Whale Blubber Oil Instead Of Petroleum But Now I'm A Magnet For Sharks
Michael W. Glenn
Industrious
Was Kidding About The Whole Powerball Thing- It Was Mega Millions
Made An Eco Friendly Wax Made Of Deceased Whale Blubber Oil Instead Of Petroleum But Now I'm A Magnet For Sharks
