Weather News

Hazardous weekend of surf for the NSW coast

Craig McIntosh, Friday October 11, 2019 - 13:54 AEDT

A slow moving low over the Tasman Sea will direct large waves to parts of the NSW coast this weekend.

The low, currently near New Zealand, has taken most of this week to cross the Tasman Sea, allowing time for big waves to be generated. The waves have gradually been increasing in size on Thursday and Friday, with a peak on Saturday and Sunday expected.

Waves in the 6-8 foot range are likely from the NSW South Coast all the way up to the Hunter Coast, peaking Saturday afternoon and into Sunday morning. Waves should be a couple of feet smaller north from the Mid North Coast as the waves have had to travel further.

Unfortunately for surfers, the winds won’t be ideal, staying onshore for most of the weekend. Some southern protected spots should have lighter winds, possibly morning offshores, however the waves will also be smaller. Hazardous surf warnings may be issued for this swell as they will likely have more power in them than they seem from the shore.

With the big waves and wet conditions, other coastal activities like swimming and rock fishing are best to be avoided until things along the coast settle down.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2019

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A very wet weekend for southeast Qld, northeast NSW

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