Well, it has been another mixed bag of weather conditions this week, with gusty E/SE winds early in the week as well as a few showers, but these were replaced by a return of moderate northerly winds and warmer temperatures for the past two days.
Thunderstorms have also been scattered about for the last 24 hours or so, but it does appear that the likelihood of storms – possibly severe – will be heightened today (and more likely this afternoon), so please be wary of this when planning activities today.
Looking ahead to the long weekend, and the last weekend of the school holidays, the forecast is looking okay for beach goers, with more warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine again by tomorrow, with mostly light to moderate northerly winds as well, before we see an increase in wind strength again on Monday.
Today’s winds will be from the N/NW at 10 to 15 knots throughout the day before tomorrow brings light W/SW winds in the very early morning and then W/NW to N/NW winds at around 10 knots for the remainder of the day.
Sunday will be similar, with very light W/SW winds early before the winds turn more from the N/NW at around 10 knots by midday and then up to 15 knots through the afternoon.
Monday will then bring stronger N/NW winds at 15+knots throughout the entire day.
Swimming: Swimming conditions have been quite mixed and mostly choppy and messy this past week thanks to the gusty and shifting winds, and looking ahead to the weekend, it appears there will be opportunities to find calm and good swimming conditions but there will also be times where certain beaches will get quite choppy and messy as well.
Beaches that face in a more northerly direction are going to be quite choppy over the coming days, but more so today and Monday, but also through Sunday afternoon as well.
However, Saturday, and also Sunday morning, will be quite okay across most beaches – but outside of that your best beaches for swimming over the coming days will be Elliott Heads and Kelly’s Beach due to the protection they provide from the predominantly northerly winds, which are forecast for the coming days.
As the winds increase through the afternoons, there will also be a slight side sweep or current pushing from left to right along most beaches as well, so please be mindful of this, and as per usual with the northerly winds – keep an eye out for blue bottles!
Please check with the lifesavers or lifeguard on duty, read any safety signage or messages, and most importantly please swim only at patrolled beaches, only between the red and yellow flags, and only during patrol times – remember, if we can’t see you, we can’t save you!
Beach patrols: Today, Saturday, Sunday and Monday – 9am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, plus a rove lifeguard operating around the Bundaberg Region beaches as well.
Weekdays (from Tuesday) – 9am to 5pm at Kelly’s Beach and Agnes Water only.
Surfing: Whilst there have been some messy and sloppy waves about this week, the wave quality has been quite poor, and unfortunately with the looming forecast for more northerly winds, the weekend forecast is not looking great either.
Perhaps the best chance of scoring a few waves could be through Monday at locations such as Elliott Heads and Kelly’s Beach, but outside of that, maybe check out the very early mornings at the usual locations in the hope of finding a small, clean wave – and the best opportunities for this may be tomorrow and Sunday morning (but be early). Good luck!
For the sup and ocean ski/kayak paddlers, there should be something for everyone over the coming days, with downwind paddling options looking promising (north to south) this afternoon and Sunday afternoon, but more likely throughout Monday.
For those looking for a relaxing and gentle ocean paddle, hit the ocean early tomorrow morning or again Sunday morning while the winds are light and offshore.
Events: Nil.
Important note: Remember there are updated COVID-19 restrictions, if you are at the beach, please maintain the social/physical distancing minimum guidelines and abide by the current group gathering guidelines as well.
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