Guernsey Weather Fox

Monday

Weather

A damp and murky start, with a gentle W’ly breeze bringing mist and drizzle. People will have barely started work/school though, before a fresh force 5 NNE’ly wind develops and begins to chase it all southwards. By lunchtime the sky should be sunny and then the wind will begin to ease a little through the afternoon (moderate force 4 for the most part, perhaps light force 3 towards dusk). Max temps only 15-16°C and really feeling quite chilly, unless you head to a sheltered spot, such as the south-coast cliff-paths and beaches.

Surf and the Water

The surf will be tiny but reasonably clean at dawn, so if you’re desperate for a 1-2 foot longboard wave then you had better pounce on that one. From 8am onward the waves, although about a foot bigger, will be wrecked by the cross-shore wind. Not at all bad for windsurfing and kite-surfing though. As for the swimming, the south coast will be the most sheltered place for that. High water will be 9.6m at 7:40am. Low tide will be 1m at 2:02pm.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Weather

With high pressure over the Channel and low pressure over northwest Britain, we will benefit from some of the finest and most settled weather in the British Isles, but it is likely to be cloudy at times, as we catch the weak remnants of the weather fronts associated with that low. I’m not expecting any rainfall until the latter part of Wednesday, and even then we are only talking about a scattering of showers across the Channel, so it will be a bit of a ‘hit or miss’ affair. Winds will be light force 2-3 and variable in direction… ENE’ly through the majority of Tuesday and W’ly through the majority of Wednesday. (Max temps roughly 16-17°C on both days).

Surf and the Water

The surf will be 1-2 feet and clean on both days, maybe with the odd three footer if you happen to be in precisely the right place at the right time. Light winds will mean that all coasts are good for swimmers, but the absolute best places will be the west coast on Monday and the east coast on Tuesday. Tides will be high around breakfast time (9.7m on Tuesday and 9.5m on Wednesday) and they will be low in the mid-afternoons.

Thursday and Friday

As the low pressure system pushes further southward into Britain, it’s influence will extend over the Channel and our weather will become less settled. Firstly the wind will increase to a fresh force 5 SSW’ly through Thursday and then a strong force 6 WSW’ly through Friday. The timing of rainfall is a bit uncertain but we are sure for a large dollop at some point (probably around 10mm). The most likely time for this will be on Thursday evening and night, but it might well come early and ruin your Thursday afternoon. Friday looks much drier, only the odd brief shower whistling through or possibly missing us altogether. However, the wind is really going to be a bit difficult on that day, nothing like the calm bliss of Tuesday and Wednesday. (Max temps roughly 17°C on both days).

Surf and the Water

The cleaner surf will certainly be on Thursday but I’m afraid it will only be 2-3 feet and sloppy. Friday will be about 4 feet and a lumpy old mess, but there should be some fun to be found on both days if you set your standards quite low. The windsurfers and kite-surfers will certainly be happy though, especially on Friday. The tides will still be very large, but not quite so extreme… Thursday’s high will be 9.2m at 9:19am and Friday’s will be 8.7m at 9:47am. Low tides will be in the late afternoons.

The Weekend

Weather

The unsettled theme will continue, with a fresh SW’ly wind on Saturday bringing just the odd light shower in the morning and then probably a heavier spell of rain in the afternoon or evening. Sunday then looks set to be wet for the majority of the day, as winds back to a S’ly direction, due to the arrival of a new low pressure system in Biscay. The precise detail will not be certain until much closer to the time but suffice to say, it’s not going to be anything like the sunny weekend that we’ve just had.

Surf and the Water

Clean surf, especially on Sunday. Probably around 3-5 feet and not very powerful, making it good for a range of abilities. The tides will be much smaller too, meaning that there will be far surfable hours in the day. Saturday’s high will be 8.2m at 10:13am and Sunday’s will be 7.6m at 10:41am . Low tides will be in the late afternoons.