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FULL STORY: SUMMER MEGASWELL HITS WEST COAST
California sees four days of pumping surf
As forecasters, we often need to act in the role of devil's advocate whenever a major swell begins to develop. By that I mean we constantly try and pick apart potential issues with an incoming swell (the winds weren't strong enough, the fetch was too small, the storm moved in the wrong direction, etc.) in order to not 'hype' it up too much and disappoint our users. With the monster south swell that slammed Mexico, Baja and California over the past few days, there really wasn't anything to nitpick. We had lofty expectations for this swell and it lived up to every inch of those expectations and then some. Below are the key components that really made this a special event.
Wind Speeds/Strength were very impressive throughout most of this storm's duration: in excess of 50 knots for multiple days in a row. One of the things we really like to see happen when we're monitoring storms for potential swells is for an area of low pressure (the storm) to be directly adjacent to a ridge of high pressure. Not only will the tight pressure gradient create strong winds, it also can lead to very consistent wind. Strong, consistent wind means a more consistent swell with more waves per set. Many West Coast surfers probably found this out on their own when they got caught inside by a 10- to 15-wave set Friday and Saturday!
Fetch Size/Storm Location/Movement: All were good to excellent. While the fetch length wasn't abnormally long, the width was impressive with a 400-500 mile wide region of 40-50 knot wind. The location of the storm was outstanding and was really a key component in the size of this swell. Whereas you garden variety South Pacific storm is located roughly 5000-6000 miles from Southern California, this particular storm was much closer, centered around 3600 miles from us. Less distance for a swell to travel means less swell decay and larger surf. The storm's track was initially quite good, briefly taking on a northeastward heading, toward Mexico and the US West Coast before sinking back down toward the southeast. But by the time the less favorable track came into play, the swell was fortunately already on the way.
Overall, the is easily the largest Southern Hemisphere surf we've seen since the April 2007 south swell and certainly ranks right up there with anything we've seen in the past 10+ years. Mix in the elements of generally favorable wind conditions throughout its duration, warm water and longevity -- three full days of solid surf from Thursday late afternoon through Sunday -- and you have an occasion worthy of all the photos that follow. Check back later this week for other perspectives on this special swell.
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July 27, 2009
