"Stay happy and you'll be perfectly fine" - Jack Norris

Weak, tiny, smoky, breezy but not flat

Hello Friends,

Grey, hazy and a strong smell of burnt bush this morning along the beaches. As the pictures show, there were some weak knee to waist high waves at magnet exposures such as Long Reef and North Narrabeen. Ocean was lightly textured by the rising NNE wind. Out at sea as of 0400, the MHL buoy was detecting 1.2 metres of 7-second wind bump from the SE. Tide was high at 0500 and will bottom out at 1100. Ocean temperature is sitting on 21C according to Beachwatch.

Outlook is for a strong south change to roar up the coast late this afternoon. In its wake we’ll have much cooler and more temperate conditions with the prospect of trace amounts of precipitation right through to the end of the Christmas week.

The Goat rolled out his annual Christmas message and thoughts for the surf week ahead last night, so, as always, I commend his unimpeachable wisdom to you.

Like everyone else, I’m grateful for the volunteers who are today facing catastrophic conditions to protect us. It’ll be 36 along the coast but into the upper 40’s inland (Penrith is facing 47). And summer is just getting started…

 

Lugga left at 0630
Long Reef bomb set
Slim prospects at Dee Why
Collaroy hopelessly unsurfable
Through the smoke haze, a rider at North Narrabeen 0620

Forecast for the rest of Saturday

Summary
Max 36
Hot. Smoky. Late cool gusty change.
Chance of any rain: 10% 

Sydney area

Very hot and partly cloudy. Areas of thick smoke haze. The chance of a thunderstorm in the west late this afternoon and evening. Winds northwesterly 15 to 25 km/h tending westerly int he early afternoon before shifting southerly 35 to 50 km/h in the late afternoon, possibly reaching 55 to 60km/h near the coast. Wind decreasing to 25 to 35 km/h in the late evening.

A POOR Air Quality Forecast alert is issued by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) due to forecast elevated particle and ozone levels in Sydney for Saturday 21 December 2019

Fire Danger – Catastrophic

Sun protection recommended from 9:00 am to 3:20 pm, UV Index predicted to reach 11 [Extreme]

 

Weather Situation
A high pressure system over the Tasman Sea will continue to move east. A low pressure trough and associated cold front will bring a southerly change to the southern and central coast today, reaching the northern coast on Sunday. Following this, another high pressure system will move over the southern Tasman Sea at the beginning of the new week.

Forecast for Saturday until midnight
Gale Warning for Saturday for Sydney Coast
Winds
North to northeasterly 15 to 20 knots shifting southerly 20 to 30 knots in the late afternoon, reaching up to 35knots inshore in the early evening. Winds decreasing to 20 to 25 knots in the late evening.
Seas
1 to 2 metres increasing to 2 to 3 metres by early evening.
Swell
Southerly around 1 metre.
Weather
Partly cloudy. Possible smoke haze.
Sunday 22 December
Winds
Southerly 15 to 20 knots, reaching up to 25 knots offshore early in the morning. Winds tending southeasterly 10 to 15 knots in the evening.
Seas
2 to 3 metres decreasing to 1 to 1.5 metres during the afternoon.
1st Swell
Southerly around 1 metre, increasing to 1 to 2 metres during the afternoon or evening.
2nd Swell
East to northeasterly around 1 metre.
Weather
Cloudy.
Monday 23 December
Winds
East to southeasterly about 10 knots tending east to northeasterly 10 to 15 knots during the morning.
Seas
Around 1 metre.
1st Swell
Southerly 1.5 to 2 metres.
2nd Swell
Easterly around 1 metre.
Weather
Cloudy.