PACIFIC OVERVIEW
On Sunday (1/22) Northern CA surf was head high a clean, crisp conditions. South facing breaks were chest high. Central California surf was chest to head high with some slightly overhead sets. Southern CA breaks from Santa Barbara to just north of LA were waist to maybe chest high at the best spots with most waist high or less. The LA area southward to Orange County was waist high. Southward from Orange County into San Diego best breaks were waist to chest high.The North Shore of Oahu was 2-3 ft overhead. The South Shore was waist to shoulder high. The East Shore was head high from easterly windswell.
The first of two smaller swells is hitting California focused north of Pt Conception on Sunday with another scheduled in first light Monday AM. Pristine conditions the norm. Fun sized clean surf is also occurring in Hawaii with no big change expected. All storms are currently forecast to remain bottled up just off the Kuril Islands with swell energy either indirectly pushing southeast to Hawaii or making the long route to North and Central California, well decayed by the time it arrives with the result being more fun sized surf for the Islands and California over the coming week. There are suggestions of local windswell in the mix late week for California and maybe more early next week, but that's pure speculation. See details below...
SHORT- TERM FORECAST
Current marine weather and wave analysis.cgius forecast conditions for the next 72 hours
North Pacific
Overview
Sundays (1/22) jetstream exhibited the same sickness it had late last week, namely a strong flow off Japan .cgiitting before the dateline with the north branch pushing over the northern Gulf of Alaska and the south branch diving to the equator. A pronounced dead spot was in.cgiace between the two .cgiit streams covering the entire Eastern Pacific. Today the .cgiit point was aa few hundred nmiles west of the dateline with winds coming off Japan at 190 kts, then fading fast at the .cgiit point. Pockets of 120 kt energy were pushing northeast into and through the Gulf of Alaska but there were no clear indications of anything that would support surface level storm development. Over the next 72 hours through early Wednesday (1/25) a bit of a trough is to develop off Japan but winds are to fade to the 150 kts mark with the .cgiit point still limiting the areal coverage of the trough, thus limiting it's ability to get anything going storm-wise at the oceans surface. The .cgiit point is to migrate east to maybe 170W, but that is small potatoes compared to what needs to happen. A weak trough is forecast to develop in the northern branch pushing east through the northern Gulf of Alaska, but it's forecast to be pretty worthless. Beyond 72 hours the same pattern to hold, but with one ray of hope. The .cgiit point is to make some eastward progress pushing to just northwest of Hawaii at 35N 165W, suggesting that if one more solid batch of energy were to push off Japan it might shut off the .cgiit stream flowing south to the equator and consolidate everything back into one solid stream flowing west to east. But there's no indication of that yet, so for now no change is expected with a rather quite storm pattern forecast through next Sunday (1/29).
At the surface today high pressure at 1032 mbs remained dominant over the waters of the Northeast Pacific reaching from the dateline east over Hawaii into California and northeast up and over British Columbia. This high continued generating brisk easterly trades from Baja to Hawaii. No low pressure of interest was present in the Eastern Pacific. But a broad low was starting to organize off Japan with pressure 972 mbs but was already tracking north with winds 45 kts in it's south quadrant aimed towards Hawaii but most fetch in it's north quadrant aimed back at the Kuril Islands.
Over the next 72 hours this area is to be the main focus of our interest. On Sunday (1/21) evening pressure to be 956 mbs with a tiny fetch of hurricane force 60-65 kt winds in the storms south quadrant at 45N 160E aimed for a short duration east towards Hawaii down the 315 degree path but mostly towards California up the 304 degree path. This fetch to fade fast Monday AM but not before 42 ft seas are generated at 46N 163E. On Monday the fetch is to be r.cgiaced by a less defined 40-45 kt fetch centered roughly at 43N 165E continuing through Tuesday at 44N 170E fading out on Wednesday. These winds to be aimed at California up the 299-303 degree path and 40 degrees east of the 315-319 degree path to Hawaii. Seas forecast at 34-37 ft seas near 43N 165E. This system to be 3215 nmiles from North CA and 2241 nmiles from Hawaii. Current data suggests swell of 6.7-7.4 ft @ 17-20 secs likely for exposed breaks in North and Central California (10-12 ft faces) starting Friday AM (1/27) small building through Sunday afternoon from 299-304 degrees then fading. Hawaii can expect swell starting Thursday morning (1/26) building to 6-7 ft @ 17 secs (10-12 ft faces) continuing through Saturday AM from 315-319 degrees then fading.
Also a local 1008 mb low is forecast in the Southern Gulf of Alaska late Monday (1/23) drifting east with limited 35 kt fetch aimed mostly south initially a bit east of Hawaii then swinging towards California on Tuesday before pushing inland over British Columbia early Wednesday. 25 ft seas forecast likely tracking best to Southern California but hitting in the North first late Thursday (1/26) building southward Friday.
Otherwise high pressure is to continue ruling the East Pacific with faint bits of low pressure and nondescript 30-35 kt southwest winds pushing up into the northern Gulf of Alaska pushing inland over east Alaska .
Also last Tuesday (1/17) a system started developing mid-way between Japan and the dateline. By evening pressure was down to 980 mbs with a tiny fetch of 50-60 kt winds confirmed in it's south quadrant aimed close to Hawaii. Seas modeled at 22 ft at 36N 162E. By Wednesday AM (1/18) pressure dropped to 972 mbs with winds holding at 50 kts over a small area centered at 38N 170E aimed towards Hawaii down the 310 degree great circle path with 32 ft seas were modeled at 38N 168E. In the evening the storm lifted north directing 45-50 kt winds and 34 ft seas east towards California from 38N 175E aimed up the 296 degree path with additional energy towards Hawaii up the 315 degree path. On Thursday AM (1/19) the storm was fading fast with residual 32 ft seas modeled at 42N 180W aimed east towards California up the 295 degree path. This system has already generated decent utility class swell for Hawaii (Saturday 1/21). Small utility class swell is also trickling east for North and Central California starting Monday (1/23) with swell forecast at 4.4 ft @ 17-18 secs early (7-8 ft faces) from 195-296 degrees eventually filtering down into Southern CA late but with less than half the size.
No other swell producing systems forecast.
North Pacific Animations: Jetstream - Surface Pressure/Wind - Sea Height - Surf Height
California Offshore Forecast
On Sunday (1/22) high pressure at 1034 mbs was positioned 300 nmiles off Cape Mendocino ridging into the Pacific Northwest providing dry stable air over the area and expected to continue through Tuesday. By then the high is to be inland enough that a small 1000 mb low is forecast to have formed in it's wake pushing east positioned to within 600 nmiles of Oregon on Wednesday (1/25) then sinking south bringing brisk south winds into North and Central CA and even South CA late Thursday. The low to push inland Friday but only to be followed by a much stronger system Saturday (1/28) with 50-55 kt winds forecast in it's core off the Pacific Northwest. It's leading edge forecast to start impacting the north coast late Saturday, but not making it much further south than maybe Morro Bay on Sunday.
The 5 Day wind forecast is now included with the surf & swell overview in the QuikCAST's.
South Pacific
Overview
No swell producing fetch forecast over the next 72 hours.
South Pacific Animations: Jetstream - Surface Pressure/Wind - Sea Height - Surf Height
LONG-TERM FORECAST
Marine weather and forecast conditions 3-10 days into the future
North Pacific
Beyond 72 hours a total shutdown of the North Pacific is forecast other than one small storm forecast off Oregon Saturday (1/28) pushing southeast towards Cape Mendocino with 34 ft seas peaking Saturday evening.
Nothing else of interest suggested.
South Pacific
Beyond 72 hours no swell producing fetch is forecast.
Details to follow...
Local Interest
MV Indies Trader Returns to Sumatra
Indies Trader Marine Adventures is proud to announce that after seven incredibly successful years circumnavigating the globe on Quiksilver's "Crossing" expedition - the MV Indies Trader is returning to its roots in Sumatra.More info here
El Nino Forecast Updated: The Stormsurf El Nino forecast was updated on 12/30/05. Check out all the latest details concerning El Nino and it's impact on the winter surf season. Details here
Tutorial on the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) Presented by Dr. Roland Madden: If you're interested in El Nino and the MJO, have a basic understanding of El Nino, and you have broadband connection, audio and Macromedia Flash installed, then the following presentation is a must see. Dr Madden present a great overview of how the MJO works. And there's nothing like hearing it straight from the founders mouth. Link here: http://meted.ucar.edu/climate/mjo/mjonav0.htm
Read all the latest news and happenings on our News Page here
Surf Height-Swell Height Correlation Table
