Thursday’s Surf – WTF! Where the heck is the rain!?!

Sorry random rant time: Seriously sometimes, when it comes to rain, I can be the worst meteorologist. I just don’t have the patience to sit around looking at slowly moving radar plots and adjust timing on the approaching fronts. Still it is damn frustrating when you are expecting rain at a certain time and all you see is blue sky. Stupid rain.

Anyway looking at the forecasts, (sigh) and radar, it looks like there will be a bit of rain tonight but it should be mostly gone by early tomorrow. (Though now that I said that you should probably make sure to pack an umbrella for the dawn patrol)

All right enough complaining about the rain…on to the surf.

Thursday will be a surf day after the morning tide drops.

We have new SW swell (195-210) filling in that will start to peak later on Thursday (and into Friday). We will also have a bit of local W windswell.

In the morning most spots will be small and soft, holding mostly in the knee high+ range. The standout high tide spots may be a touch bigger but I wouldn’t expect much.

By the afternoon, as the tide drops, we will see the SW facing spots and good combo breaks build into the waist-chest high range. Standout breaks in South Orange County and Northern San Diego will have some shoulder high+ sets sneaking through.

Winds will be light and variable in the morning and should pick up out of the W-NW around 10-12 knots by the afternoon.

I would sit out the dawn patrol if you can…it will be just too bogged out by the tide. Once it drops you should start seeing a few playful peaks at the better S facing beaches. Beach breaks will probably be your best bet shapewise...but plan on hunting around for a semi-decent sandbar. I will be doing a lunchtime check with my fishy boards once the tide drops.

Tuesday’s Surf - Big high tide

Tuesday is looking rideable but the combo of generally weak swell and nearly 6’+ high tide in the morning is going to shut down the dawn patrol.

In the water we will have a mix of fading NW windswell and a touch of WNW and SW background energy. Most breaks (once the tide drops) will have surf in the knee-waist high range while the standout windswell breaks will have some chest high sets.

Conditions will be clean early with mostly E winds around 10 knots. SW winds around 10+ build in through the afternoon.

Personally I don’t think it will be much of a surf day for me…with the dawn patrol shut down by the tide I think shape will fall apart (as the wind builds) before the tide can get low enough to let my local spots work. If you have to surf, don’t drive very far for it…just hunt around for a good sandbar close by…those will likely be your best bet.