QuikCAST
Surf Forecast - Southern California
5 Day Surf Forecast
Forecast Updated:
Saturday, July 4, 2009 1:34 PM
GMT
Surf Scale: 3 ft = waist high, 4 ft = chest high, 5 ft = head high, 10 ft =double overhead Swell Direction is direction swell is coming from. 90°=East, 180°=South, 270°=West, 360-0 = North
Southern California Surf Forecast (Centered on Dana Point)
Day
Trend
Wind
(kts)
Details
(Swell Number, Swell Size & Period, Arrival Time and Profile)
Waves
(Set wave max face height)
Swell Direction
Sunday
7/5
Up some
W 1-5 early
Southwest background swell from under Tahiti at 2 ft @ 17 secs
3.5 ft
205 degrees
Monday
7/6
Holding
SW 1-5 early
Southwest background swell from under Tahiti at 2.3 ft @ 15 secs
3.5 ft
205 degrees
Tuesday
7/7
Holding
SW 1-5 early
Southwest background swell from under Tahiti at 2.3 ft @ 14-15 secs
3.0-3.5 ft
205 degrees
Wednesday
7/8
Holding
SW 1-5 early
Southwest background swell from under Tahiti at 2.3 ft @ 15 secs
3.5 ft
200 degrees
Thursday
7/9
Holding
SW 1-5 early
Southwest background swell from under Tahiti at 2.3 ft @ 14 secs
3.0 ft
200 degrees
Extended
Outlook
Holding
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A neutral pressure pattern is in play off the California coast for now making for light winds and reasonably clean conditions. This is expected to continue into early Tuesday (7/7), then high pressure is expected to start building in the Northern Gulf of Alaska and sinking south, generating the normal pressure gradient off the Central CA coast and producing increased northerly winds to 20 kts and limited short period north windswell down into exposed breaks north of Pt Conception well into the weekend (7/11). Previously down south a weak gale developed east of New Zealand Fri (6/26) tracking east through Sun (6/28) producing 40 kts winds and a limited area of 28 ft seas initially building to near 35 ft towards the end of it's life. Sideband energy from this system has already hit Hawaii and is fading there but is just starting to impact the CA coast on Sat (7/4), expected to continue well into the week (through 7/9). But most of the energy was pushing to the east towards Central America and was also shadowed from CA by Tahiti. Over the long haul a pretty quiet pattern is expected to remain in control. A weak cutoff low might develop under Tahiti on Tues-Wed (7/8 producing 40 kts winds and a limited area of 32 ft seas aimed north at Hawaii and California but shadowed from CA by Tahiti. Beyond a broader area of 35 kt southwest winds and 26 ft seas are forecast east of New Zealand next weekend, but it's anyone's guess as to whether that will really occur. We're in the heart of summer now, and any surf is a gift.