It has been another week of mixed weather conditions, with warm temperatures and high humidity returning, and even a bit of rain thrown in yesterday as well.
But at least the wind dropped out for a few days!
Don’t get too excited though, as the forecast suggests it is coming back again for the weekend!
It also looks like overcast, or at least partly cloudy skies, will remain through today and maybe tomorrow as well, before sunny skies return again for Sunday.
Early this morning will bring light and variable winds (NW to S/SW) at only around 10 knots, before they turn onshore and from the S/SE to E/SE during the day, and then increase to around 15+ knots.
Tomorrow will then bring stronger winds, with the forecast suggesting 15 to 20 knots of E/SE winds that will gust to 20+ knots during the afternoon.
Sunday is looking to be similar to Saturday, with 15 to 20 knots of S/SE to E/SE winds forecast.
Swimming
Swimming conditions have been quite okay throughout the most part of this week, with just a few afternoons of choppy conditions when the afternoon sea breezes kicked in.
As we look ahead to today and across the weekend, unfortunately, these good swimming conditions will not continue – unless you can find beaches that give some protection from the gusty SE winds.
This morning will be the absolute best time for a swim over the next three days, with calm and gentle conditions expected across all beaches in the region through until around mid to late morning.
After that, and then across the weekend, the forecast is for strong E/SE winds that will cause choppy and messy conditions across most of our beaches, but particularly on those more open and exposed beaches where there will also be a strong side sweep pushing from right to left.
The best time for swimmers to hit the beach over the coming days will certainly be through the early mornings, whilst the best beaches for swimmers will likely be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water (adjacent to the headland), and to a lesser degree, Nielson Park and Moore Park.
Please check with the 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: Weekdays – 9 am to 5 pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, PLUS a Rove Lifeguard operating in the Bundaberg Region (Please Note: Operational Hours may differ at certain beaches)
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY – 8 am to 6 pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach & Agnes Water, PLUS a Rove Lifeguard operating in the Bundaberg Region (Please note: operational hours may differ at certain beaches)
Surfing
The New Year brought with it plenty of great surf for local-board-riders, with Monday and Tuesday this week providing some fantastic, clean groundswell for all to enjoy.
But the northerly winds soon put an end to that from Wednesday onwards at most, but not all beaches, as those in the know can attest to!
Looking ahead to the coming days, the swell size has certainly dropped, but there is still the chance of finding a few small, clean waves this morning before that onshore wind gets up.
After that, choppy and messy conditions will develop and remain for the weekend, but we should also see another slight increase in wave heights over the weekend – though they will be wind effected!
All beaches will be worth a sneaky look early this morning with your favourite mal, but over the weekend, beaches such as Agnes Water, Nielson Park, Mon Repos and Moore Park will be the better options. Good Luck!
For the SUP and Ocean Ski paddlers, there will no shortage of suitable conditions for a slick south to north downwind paddle this afternoon, and more so then across both Saturday and Sunday.
For those looking for a more relaxed and gentler ocean paddle, I would suggest hitting the beach very early this morning, or look for sheltered, inland waterways across the weekend.
Events
Good luck to local surf lifesavers competing tomorrow at the QLD Beach Series Round 3 Carnival at Kurrawa Beach (Gold Coast).
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