My arms are tired.
SURF:
There’s been so much surf lately that the lineups have been virtually empty. I’m not going to name names here, but I passed a couple well known spots yesterday around 2pm and they literally only had 10 guys out. Normally it’s like 100. When there’s been weeks of surf, it spreads the wealth around. Today we have yet another cold front moving through for light SE winds this morning. Look for the wind to switch to the SW early on and it may mess up a good NW/SW swell with head high+ surf most everywhere. Hard to tell how much it will mess it up as the front is pretty weak- but any SW wind would suck. If it doesn’t get too messy, we’ll see the NW build even further. Amazingly, the NW hit the CA buoy last night (about 350 miles off San Fran) with readings of 30’ at 15 seconds. Solid. It then moved down the coast and hit Point Reyes this morning for 20’ surf. Unfortunately, the swell is pretty N so we won’t get the brunt of it. Also, it takes about 24 hours for a swell from the CA buoy to hit us down here and 12 hours from Point Reyes- that means it’s going to arrive around nightfall. If you like surfing under the moon in a miner’s helmet- you’re stoked. For the rest of us, we won’t see the peak of the swell. We will though see overhead+ sets by sundown in north OC/SD, close to double overhead in south SD, and head high waves from the SW/NW combo in southern OC. For Saturday the NW will be on its way down and the SW will hold. Look for head high+ waves in north SD/OC, overhead+ sets in south SD, and head high waves in southern OC. Sunday looks to be a little smaller but still fun head high waves will be found as another weaker NW shows up at our door in the afternoon. We have yet another weak front moving through Saturday with an emphasis on the word weak so look for S winds increasing late in the day on Saturday and NW winds Sunday afternoon. Nothing that will mess up the surf significantly. Water temps are still a cold 58 degrees. Tides the next few days are about 0’ at breakfast, 3’ late afternoon, and dropping slightly at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the swells and conditions at Twitter/North County Surf.
FORECAST:
It’s good when the south pacific comes to life and the north pacific doesn’t want to die. After a good weekend of surf, we get more fun reinforcements of surf from the NW with background SW on Monday. Nothing major but more head high waves for north SD/OC, some overhead sets in south SD, and chest high waves in south OC. That holds through Tuesday. Looks like a break in the action for the second half of the week but yet another storm is forecasted to form mid-week with hopefully more NW and SW for the weekend. Now if we can just get these cold fronts to stop screwing things up…
WEATHER:
As mentioned above, we have another weak front moving through today. Rain totals should be under ½”. Wind this morning will be SSW will switch to the W late this afternoon. Saturday morning clears out briefly with SE winds. And yes! Another weak cold front comes through Saturday evening. Kind of a tease though- this front is so weak it really won’t do anything. And it’s will roll through Saturday night when we’re all asleep so you probably won’t even notice it. Sunday we get clearing skies and variable wind- probably normal W sea breezes. For the first part of the work week, looks like nice cool clear seasonal weather and models hint at a warm up mid-week- maybe beach temps in the low to mid-70’s. Finally.
BEST BET:
If the weak fronts don’t kick up a lot of wind today and tomorrow, today and Saturday should be the call with solid NW/SW swell. If you want cleaner conditions but smaller surf, Monday/Tuesday are for you. Or maybe just take the easy route and surf every one of those days so you don’t have to choose.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
Last week I talked about the eerie fact that our region of the Pacific is the only one without a major quake this past year. If we really are due for the big one, a tsunami isn’t out of the question. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is having their Tsunami Awareness Week this week and lists the following information so you can be prepared:
53 percent of the nation’s population lives in a coastal county. Along with the enjoyment offered by coastal living and vacationing comes personal responsibility to prepare for unique hazards that exist in coastal areas, such as tsunamis. Because catastrophic tsunamis are rare, we may have a tendency to get complacent and think that one will never happen while we’re at the beach. However, every coastline in the world is vulnerable to a tsunami. If you live near or visit the coast, NOAA encourages you to take this opportunity to develop and discuss tsunami safety plans with your family and friends so everyone will be prepared when a big tsunami strikes the United States.
NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Efforts
Through NOAA, the United States has made a significant investment in tsunami detection and warning systems since the last catastrophic tsunami occurred in 2004. Although the earthquake that triggered that tsunami was detected, warning systems were not in place in the Indian Ocean region for governments to alert people to evacuate the coasts to safety. As a result, nearly 230,000 people died. Today, NOAA manages an expanded network of tide and seismic stations, and 39 tsunami buoys positioned throughout the world’s oceans to detect tsunamis. If staff members at NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Centers detect a tsunami threat, they broadcast alerts over an advanced telecommunications infrastructure. Other components of the nation’s upgraded tsunami warning system include NOAA’s two 24/7 Tsunami Warning Centers in Alaska and Hawaii, a network of advanced forecast models for at-risk communities, and TsunamiReady™ — a public preparedness and education program.
Education Video for Children
Parents and educators may visit NOAA’s Web site with their children and students to watch a short animated video about tsunamis. This new video titled Tsunamis: Know What to Do, produced by the San Diego Office of Emergency Management with support from NOAA and the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, may be viewed online. Everyone – from coastal residents to beach vacationers – will benefit from spending a few minutes learning about the warning signs of a tsunami and what to do if one occurs.
Warning Signs of a Tsunami
•A strong earthquake
•A sudden rise or fall of the ocean tide
•A loud, roaring sound (like an airplane or a train) coming from the ocean
•Tsunami warnings broadcast over television and radio, by beach lifeguards, community sirens, text message alerts, NOAA tsunami warning center Web sites and on NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
What You Should Do if You See These Signs
•Don’t panic
•Move inland to higher ground, or into a tall building immediately and stay there
•Turn on your radio or television to learn if there is a tsunami warning
•Stay away from the beach until officials issue an “all clear”
So arm yourselves with tsunami awareness and a preparedness plan, along with sun block and a good book, and you’ll have all the ingredients for a fun and safe beach holiday. To learn more about tsunamis, visit NOAA’s Tsunami Web site.
BEST OF THE BLOG:
If you haven’t been checking out the blog this past week, here’s what you’ve missed: Deals on boards for the summer, mid-week surf checks, and Julian Wilson going mental. I swear he can make trash look like a winning lottery ticket. Don’t believe me? Then check out all the goodies below in the blog! You’ll swear some of his turns we’re done with smoke and mirrors…
PIC OF THE WEEK:
The boys at Surfing Magazine do a great job chronicling the good swells in California. These past few weeks were no exception. Just check out the Pic of the Week, shot north of the pier in Solana Beach. What? You say there’s no pier in Solana Beach? I wonder where the heck they took this pic then?...
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Affable
NFL Scab
Runner-up to John ‘The Terminator’ Parmenter on ’85 PSAA Tour
