Thursday
Weather
Just like Wednesday, the skies will be mostly cloudy but with a few cracks here and there to let some sunbeams through. Some showers are expected to develop in the Channel, as the clouds bubble up to be a little taller than on Wednesday. If we do catch any of these showers then they are likely to be brief and light, so it might be a bit OTT to carry a brolly around with you all day. Max temp by day 9-10°C, min temp by night 4-6°C (ground-frost is possible if skies become clear for a while).
Surf and the Water
A fresh pulse of strong swell, 6 feet at the start of the day, moderating to 4-5 feet by the end. Winds will be very light and more or less offshore at all the favourite west-coast spots. If you are swimming then the water will have a fairly smooth texture on all coasts, given how light the wind is, so it might be best to avoid the west coast on this occasion. High water will be 7.5m at lunchtime (12:30pm).
Friday
Weather
Cloudy skies will tend to dominate and those showers, although brief and light, will probably be more frequent than on Thursday. The main thing about this day is that it’s going to be cold, in fact you would only have to nip over to Belgium to find some sleet and snow. Winds will be coming from that direction (moderate force 4 E’ly) and temperatures will only peak around 7-8°C, before falling to a minimum of 4-6°C in the night time.
Surf and the Water
Clean 3-4 foot surf on the west coast. If you are a daily dipper, no matter the cold, then the west will also be best, especially in the more sheltered bays and preferably around high tide. High tide will be about 7.5m at 1:45pm.
The Weekend
Weather
Feeling really cold because the ENE’ly winds will be stronger, mostly fresh force 5, but perhaps even strong force 6 on Saturday. The actual temperature between 6 and 8°C through the days and then drop to around 5°C overnight). Saturday looks like the gloomiest day by far, with thick grey cloud and plenty of those brief light showers. Sunday currently looks much drier and brighter as the cloud will be much thinner. Hats, gloves and scarfs would be a great idea on both days though.
Surf and the Water
Sunday looks like the better day for surfing, because the west coast will be 2-3 feet and clean then, as opposed to being only 1-2 feet with an irritating cross-chop on Saturday. Winter swimmers will definitely want to aim for high tide, in order to shelter from the wind to some extent. The times of high water will be just before 3pm on Saturday (7.7m) and just before 4pm on Sunday (8m).
Next Week
Weather
Monday to Wednesday look likely to stay in the mid to high single figures, as the wind will be moderate SE’ly, bringing air from central France. Moving on to Thursday and Friday, the wind will back to a fresh or perhaps strong NE’ly, meaning that the actual temperature might fall even colder and the feels-like temperature will be really bitter. Showers are possible on most days, but they look likely to be sparse and watery Monday to Wednesday. Then, on Thursday and Friday, the are increasingly likely to turn wintry, mainly with hail but occasionally with sleet.
Surf and the Water
The surf will be flat for the most part, but there could be some clean 1-2 foot waves that are worth considering on Monday and Tuesday. Tides will be fairly large, with highs of between 8.4m and 8.9m shortly before dawn and shortly after dusk.
The next forecast update will be on Friday evening…
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