The Weekend
Weather
Finally some respite from the wind, as dawn breaks on Saturday with a very light W’ly (force 2-3). With this breeze we will have cloudy skies but no rain or mist/fog. Skip forward to lunchtime and things won’t be quite so rosy… with the arrival of a warm front, the breeze will have picked up to a force 4 SW’ly and the cloud will be low enough and thick enough to bring drizzle and hill-fog. Through the rest of Saturday and then through Sunday, the cloud will be much thinner but still very low. This means that it will be mostly dry but the hill fog will continue to come and go. This will probably mean a few delays at the airport, mainly on Saturday but possibly on Sunday too. On the positive side, it will be very mild and comfortable… Saturday’s temperature rising from 10°C in the morning to 12°C in the afternoon, then Sunday’s temperature rising from 11°C to 13°C.
Surf and the Water
Lovely clean waves on the west coast, dropping from 5 feet to 3 feet as we go through Saturday, then picking up from about 3 feet to an absolutely thumping 10 feet on Sunday. Take care if you are going in on Sunday afternoon. Best to just spectate, or maybe head to L’Ancresse, if you aren’t comfortable with the big stuff. Medium-small tidal movements, with highs around lunchtime.
Monday to Wednesday
Weather
There won’t be a massive amount of change from the weekend. We are going to hang on to the mild SW’ly airflow, due to the fact that high pressure will consistently lie over the continent to the southeast whilst vigorous low-pressure systems sweep across the Atlantic to the northwest. The lows will be a long way away but their associated weather-fronts will be far reaching, possibly reaching the islands at times. For the majority of the time, our weather will just be cloudy and dry, but if these weather-fronts get too close, then the cloud could become thick enough to bring a spell of drizzle and hill fog. As for the temperature, that’s going to hover between 10°C and 12°C throughout the days and the nights. Furthermore, the wind probably won’t be any stronger than force 4, making it very comfortable and easy to leave your cars at home and head out by bike or on foot.
Surf and the Water
The surf will be super-clean and huge on Monday, a real day to remember. By Tuesday, it will have dropped off to about 4 feet and then it will be 3 feet by Wednesday. Those smaller days will still be pretty clean, so there should be something to suit all abilities at one time or another (so long as you don’t mind a water temperature of only 11°C). Medium-small tidal movements, with lows in the mornings and highs in the afternoons.
Thursday and Friday
Weather
High pressure will be directly over the Channel on the last two days of the working week, meaning that we will have very little wind indeed… variable in direction and never stronger than light force 1-3. As for the weather, we can be sure that it will be dry, but it’s uncertain whether it will be cloudy or sunny/clear, meaning that the temperatures is also uncertain (both day and night). Current expectations are for a partly cloudy Thursday and a mostly sunny/clear Friday. Therefore, if you are wondering about ground-frost, then I’d have to say it is more likely on Friday.
Surf and the Water
The west-coast surf should be lovely and clean again, probably 4-5 feet on Thursday, dropping off to 3 feet again on Friday. It’s also going to be lovely on most coasts for a winter sea-swim or a trip out on the paddle-board or the kayak. Medium large tides, with lows in the late mornings and highs around dusk.
The next forecast update will be on Sunday evening…
Previous Weather Fox ForecastsTide Tables
Swim Conditions
Ormering
Lihou Causeway