Tropical Update for the wrong ocean - TS Gustav

I should have probably titled this post "Why does God hate New Orleans?"

Normally I wouldn't bother talking about storms that can't send us surf...but this one seems like it would be worth a post.

I have been watching the Gulf of Mexico forecasts for the last couple of days and it seems like Mother Nature has a serious bone to pick with Louisiana.

As you can see TS Gustav has formed down in the Caribbean and is doings its best to rain out every giant spliff in Jamaica.



If that wasn't bad enough...every forecast for the past 48 hours has Gustav intensifying as he tracks across the Gulf of Mexico and then slamming into the LA coast (sometimes with tracks that go right over New Orleans).

Here are a couple of forecasts from the NHC and the NRL.




From a wave standpoint it looks like Texas will have a good shot a getting swell from Gustav...possibly arriving late Sunday but peaking Monday afternoon into Tuesday. Surf Size will depend a lot on how fast Gustav is moving and how intense he actually becomes once he moves into the more open waters of the Gulf.

At this point I would definitely expect head high and even overhead waves for North Texas (probably bad weather too). Further south there should still be plenty of shoulder-head high waves and better winds. Remember that this could change pretty rapidly if the storm changes direction or slows down in its storm track.

Anyway if you ever had a hankering to surf Texas for some reason...this would be a chance to get some real swell.