Smaller NW Swell Continues This Week

OVERVIEW 3.6.22 – 3.9.22: Similar conditions as what we’ve seen over the past month in the north Pacific will persist over the next week. This includes a stagnant area of high-pressure centered near Hawaii and the series of low-pressure systems continuing their progression eastward to impact our weather. The next low in the series is in the gulf of Alaska as of Friday the 3rd and is expected to head south for early next week.

We probably won’t be getting any rain from this system but it will send some nice ground swell our way stating Monday. If anything, we might see some light drizzle towards Santa Barbara early in the day Monday but other than that we should remain rain free for the rest of the week.

The ground swell will peak on Monday with 4-5 ft waves near the border and 2-3 ft waves for west facing beaches coming in from the northwest. Winds will blow parallel to slightly onshore during the day on Monday but speeds should remain light especially down to the south. These winds will move some cooler air into SoCal so prepare for another cold week.

Waves will gradually die down after Monday but the winds will persist and possibly even pick up so you definitely want to go out on Monday if you can. By Thursday we’re looking at 1-2 ft waves across the area with slightly stronger winds possible. See the 10-Day Forecast

BEST BETS

  • Monday towards San Diego will by far be the best surfing day. Bigger waves are anticipated during the morning but it may be a little chilly.
  • Monday afternoon north of LA will also be very nice. It may be a little rainy/drizzly in the morning but the sun will come out for the afternoon.
  • Thursday afternoon looks great for first-time surfers as light offshore winds return and a 1-2 ft ground swell will be present. Thursday will also be our warmest day with highs near 70.

MONDAY

Northwest winds will blow parallel to the shore starting Monday morning and lasting throughout the day. Speeds will stay on the lighter side thankfully, with 5-10 mph expected. The main story for Monday isn’t the wind, but rather the waves. As mentioned in the overview, we will start to see the next fetch of ground swell move into the area as early as Monday morning.

A 4-5 ft ground swell looks likely near San Diego with Ventura having the next biggest waves around 3 ft. All other west facing beaches should have 2-3 ft waves with south faces staying in the 1-2 ft realm. In general, periods will stay between 12 and 16 seconds with some localized variation possible.

All around this is forecasted to be an excellent surfing day except for a slight possibility of light rain to the north during the morning hours and cooler weather areawide with highs in the upper-50s.

TUESDAY

Deterioration of the ground swell will characterize Tuesday as wave heights fall throughout the day. We will start the morning out with ~3 ft heights near San Diego and ~2 ft heights elsewhere. By sundown nobody will have waves larger than 2 ft. Periods shorten by a few seconds as well, with 11-14 seconds anticipated through the day.

Winds will start out fairly calm but should pick up from the northwest as the afternoon progresses. All around, pretty clean waves are expected in the morning but we could see a light wind swell mix in with the ground swell by the afternoon. This is especially true for west facing beaches north of Orange County. High temps may be 2-3 degrees warmer than Monday with mostly sunny skies.

WEDNESDAY

Winds die down for Wednesday morning but will likely pick up again out of the NW for the afternoon. Speeds should stay light (around 5-10 mph) for all areas except around Venice Beach where a slightly stronger onshore breeze could develop.

By Wednesday, waves will no longer be big enough for anyone other than beginners. Periods stay nice and where winds are light we should have pretty clean/glassy conditions but wave heights will average around 1-2 ft across the area. Wednesday will also be warmer with highs in the mid-60s!

THURSDAY

Thursday is mostly going to be a continuation of Wednesday in terms of swell size but we are expecting Santa Ana winds to return for the afternoon. The winds will stay light for most areas but localized stronger winds are possible especially near Ventura/Oxnard. These winds will help warm our temperatures even further with upper-60s to low-70s possible!

The swell will stay small through the afternoon with 1-2 ft waves expected for everyone all day. We could see waves pick up a little bit late in the day as another round of ground swell approaches but all around expect small waves for Thursday. The good news is that this will all be ground swell as winds return to offshore. With warmer temps this looks like a good day for first-time surfers

See the 10-Day Forecast

Related Posts

How to Read a Surf Forecast

Reading a surf forecast plays a crucial role in determining whether you’ll score...

Warm End of November | Socal Weekly Forecast

Overview    11/26/21-12/2/21 – Unfortunately another slower week of waves is expected for...