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(Previous) 08/04/2005 (Next)
How to combat zonal flow in the SPAC.
As forecasters, we often use the term zonal flow to describe a lack of storm activity pointed toward a particular region, such as Southern California.
Continued below...
Zonal flow doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't any storm activity in a certain region but, rather, that it is moving in a west to east direction with little energy radiating towards destinations north and south. So, in the middle of a flat period how can one take advatage of that zonal storm activity? Well, how bout traveling to a spot that sits square in the cross-hairs of all that energy? Looking at the image you can see that plenty of red and purple blobs ar headed toward destinations like West and South OZ, Chile and South Africa. While it might be a stormy mess for days on end, if you utilize LOLA and Surfline Forecasts you're sure to score the rare big and clean days as well!

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WHAT IS LOLA?

LOLA is the world's only automated global surf forecasting tool. LOLA can forecast waves right down the street, or it can predict surf conditions at the top spots around the globe - breaks like Tavarua, Tahiti and Jeffrey's Bay.

LOLA uses the NOAA Wavewatch III engine (running on our own computers) with Surfline-modified data from various wind models (AVN, GFS, MRF). Then LOLA combines this information with empirical data we've programmed into her gained from over 30 years of surf and weather analysis here at Surfline.

LOLA also gathers real-time data from offshore buoys to measure wave pulses from storms around the world every hour. She taps into orbiting satellites to measure hurricane-force winds and tremendous wave heights in the heart of raging storms when huge ships are running for cover. She computes near-shore wave animations measuring detailed wave heights along the coast, taking into account how swells are distorted by offshore islands and the continental shelf.

When you add it all up, LOLA is the ultimate forecasting tool for surfers looking for timely, accurate and comprehensive information about waves.

Initially, we created LOLA as a proprietary tool for Surfline forecasters. But we decided to share the knowledge and give Surfline's Premium Members the chance to use LOLA themselves, to give them the best chance to score more good surf more often.

Not a Premium Member? Then CLICK HERE for a free LOLA demo.

If you are already a Premium Member, please proceed straight to the LOLA home page.