4.19.23 – Last week, it seemed like we were going to end up receiving some nice-sized northwest swell for this weekend. Unfortunately, that no longer looks to be the case. Instead, a region of high pressure is developing over the West Coast which will act as a shield to any incoming low-pressure systems. These systems, which typically bring us wind and groundswell, will now steer away from SoCal while taking the waves away from us too.
Due to this fact, we expect this weekend to stay mostly quiet. Friday and Saturday will have especially small waves, but we could see a wind swell pick up from the northwest on Sunday. Still, waves remain unimpressive all weekend with 2 ft waves being the max that most beaches see.
On the bright side, the weather will stay calm, sunny, and warm thanks to high pressure. Winds stay light all weekend long, and we also have a 0% chance of rain in all locations. Some of the warmest high temps of 2023 will make for some beautiful weather to spend outdoors. Los Angeles is expected to reach the mid-80s both Friday and Saturday, with San Diego reaching the mid-70s.
Temps cool off on Sunday as winds from the northwest bring in some cooler air along with the wind swell. All around Sunday is still looking pretty nice with winds staying relatively light nearshore and stronger offshore.
Best Bets
-Friday morning looks pretty nice with clean waves coming in from the northwest. Winds stay calm through the morning.
-Saturday Afternoon will have some of the nicest weather possible with mid-80s in LA and light winds. Waves stay small but clean.
-Sunday will have slightly larger waves compared to Friday and Saturday but less organized. Winds should stay light until late in the afternoon.
FRIDAY
Morning temps start out in the upper-50s and low-60s making for a pretty mild start to the day. The largest waves will be located near San Diego where 2-3 ft heights are possible during the morning hours. Other west facing beaches will stay closer to just 2 ft while south facing beaches stay close to 1 ft. Waves diminish in size slowly throughout the day.
Winds stay calm for the majority of the day until a light onshore breeze develops during the evening hours close to sundown. Speeds should stay under 10 mph so winds don’t seem to be an issue on Friday. Highs temps reach the mid-80s near LA with mid-70s for San Diego and Santa Barbara so all-around beautiful weather is expected. Periods stay between 9 and 13 seconds.
SATURDAY
Conditions on Friday will blend into Saturday as very little appears to change. Wave sizes continue to stay small, possibly even smaller than Friday. 2-3 ft waves are again expected for San Diego although I think 2 ft waves are probably a more realistic expectation. Other west facing beaches will stay between 1-2 ft with south facing beaches seeing even smaller waves.
The weather at least looks to stay nice with another day of mid-70s to mid-80s expected. Along with warm temps, we’ll also have sunny skies and calm to light and variable winds. Similar to Friday a light onshore breeze is expected to develop late in the evening but otherwise winds don’t appear to be a concern. Periods may be slightly longer than Friday at around 10-14 seconds.
SUNDAY
By Sunday morning, winds far offshore will have picked up enough to produce a decent sized wind swell far off the coast. Models show 10 ft waves forming due to these winds. Some of these waves will make their way to the shore but their sizes will decrease significantly by the time they reach the coast. Another day of 2-3 ft waves on west facing beaches is anticipated with 1 ft waves along south faces.
Winds nearshore stay relatively light although Sunday afternoon looks to be our windiest period with 10-15 mph winds from the northwest possible. Periods will be short and the waves look to become chaotic so although Sunday will have larger waves, Friday and Saturday will have cleaner waves better for surfing. Sunday also looks about 10 degrees cooler than Friday and Saturday.
