SURF:
From summer to winter to spring; the weather has been all over the place the past 10 days. We had a little fun SW for the weekend and then a cold front Monday whipped up some NW windswell. That died mid-week. Surf has been on the small side but at least it’s been trying. We’ve had a combo SW/NW the past few days and that is the case for Friday. Looks like the NW windswell pulses up slightly on Saturday for chest high waves. Nothing real but rideable. Sunday into the first part of next week looks to be about the same- small SW/NW swells for waist high+ waves. Water temps are creeping back up and have held into the low 60’s. Tides the next few days are about 4’ at breakfast, 0.5’ after lunch, and 5’ at sunset. Make sure to keep up to date on the waves and weather at Twitter/North County Surf.
FORECAST:
Good news is that a storm has been brewing down in the southern hemisphere and it’s in our window thankfully. We should get our first real SW of the year by Wednesday. Look for north SD to have head high+ waves and the OC to have overhead+ sets. South SD should be around shoulder high. Weather looks to be typical gloomy May Gray but who cares- good surf is coming finally. That swell should last into Friday.
WEATHER:
BEST BET:
Considering it’s been small and uneventful, any kind of surf is a best bet. Luckily for us, we have a good SW showing up mid-week so Wednesday is the call. I’ll be at Lowers if anyone needs to get a hold of me.
NEWS OF THE WEEK:
So I think it’s safe to say our rainy season is over. Yes, I know the season doesn’t ‘officially’ end until June 30th, but that weak storm we got on Monday only gave us 0.02 inches of rain and that might have been the atmosphere’s last gasp until the Aleutian storms kick back up in November. On that note, how did we do with this ‘dry’ La Nina? Pretty good actually. Here’s the latest totals:
-LAX: 17.3” so far. Normal is 13.15” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 135% of normal. In comparison, last year was 12.35” for the entire year.
-John Wayne Airport (inland from Newport Beach): 17.5” so far. Normal is 12.76” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 140% of normal. In comparison, last year was 14.58”.
-Oceanside Airport: 20” so far. Normal is 11” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 190% of normal. In comparison, last year was 13”.
-San Diego Lindbergh Field (on the bay). 12.25” so far. Normal is 10.5” for the entire season. So in total, it’s about 115% of normal. In comparison, last year was 10.77”.
Models show the La Nina breaking down and we’ll be back to a normal winter for 2011/2012. What does that mean? Probably normal consistent surf and average weather conditions. Of course, nothing is normal with mother nature so who knows…
BEST OF THE BLOG:
There’s a lot of changes about to happen the next 5 years at Ponto and Leucadia- some good, some bad. Some may stimulate the economy, some may look like overdevelopment. Get the facts below and form your own opinion.
PIC OF THE WEEK:
Ever wonder why Jimmy Buffet was such a big fan of the Caribbean? Was it the laid back island life? Was it the rum? Was it the possibility of finding buried treasure? Was it the cheeseburgers in paradise? Actually, I think this shot from stellar photographer Geoff Ragatz explains everything. Think I’m going to pack my boards and head to Margaritaville. For more of Geoff’s work, head to Surfline/Geoff Ragatz.
Keep Surfing,
Michael W. Glenn
Diabolical
Used to Date Pippa
ESA All Star
