Coastalwatch :: Reference :: Feb 1–8, 2010. SE QLD/Northern NSW.

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Feb 1–8, 2010. SE QLD/Northern NSW.

Someone turned the swell tap on.

What a difference a week makes. After a wave starved summer, SE Qld and northern NSW surfers have been feasting on waves all week and it’s not over yet. It is almost like someone turned the tap on from Feb 1.

The swell was out of the ESE in the 3-5ft range for the first few days of the week before ramping up into the 4-6ft range on Friday and all weekend. The winds have been fluky, generally light from the WSW to the SSW early before going onshore then backing off later in the day to light from the ESE.

There have been massive crowds at all breaks from Noosa to D’bah and it looks like it might stay that way until after the Quiksilver Pro.

The sand is back at Snapper Rocks and Currumbin Alley after being missing since late last May.

The swell is expected to ease gradually during the week but there will be plenty of waves as the swell is still in the 4-6ft range today, and winds are predicted to be SE for a few more days. The water on the Gold Coast has turned an ugly shade of chocolate brown after the torrential rain over the weekend.

– JC.

Adam Melling ducking and weaving at Lennox on Thursday Feb 4.

Photo: www.eyereflect.com

SE QLD secret on Fri morning Feb 5.

Photo: Harro.

Josh Kerr hooking into a solid set at Sth Straddie on Fri morning.

Photo: Joel Scott.

Asher barrelled at Sth Straddie on Fri morning.

Photo: Joel Scott.

The Alley finally linking through several sections again on Fri morning.

Photo: Shield.

Unknown bodyboarder getting well and truly shacked on a Currumbin beach cylinder on Fri.

Photo: Luke Sullivan.

Another unknown bodyboarder back in da green room. w/ much excitement.

Photo: Luke Sullivan.

Perfect pocket at D’Bah on Fri.

Photo: OceanArtwork.com

Northern NSW reef on Fri.

Photo: Shield.

Brent Dorrington slotting into a northern NSW pit on Fri morning.

Photo: Shield.

Burleigh on Sat.

Photo: Shield.

Thick Burleigh lip on Sat arvo - rider: Breno (AKA: Lightning Force).

Photo: Abriel.

Josh Kerr pitted at Snapper on Saturday Feb 6.

Photo: bRAD

Mitch Parkinson – tucking in at Snapper on Sat.

Photo: bRAD

Kirra between rain showers on Sunday Feb 7.

Photo: Sean Scott.

Bede’s brown water bowl on Sunday Feb 7 at Snapper.

Photo: Manning.

Olga, Nisha and a system in the Tasman wreak havoc.

by Coastalwatch Meteorologist | Jeff Callaghan

Tropical Cyclone Olga caused havoc last week with flooding rains and large storm surges (salt water inundation) over large parts of Queensland. In Figure 1 we can see Olga tracking southwards through Central Queensland after it made landfall. Also note the low pressure area over the North Island of New Zealand.

The NZ low evolved into a trough (Figure 2), which moved into the Tasman Sea and separated strong southeasterly winds west of the trough from an area of strong east to northeast winds east of the trough. In Queensland the pressure gradient of the eastern flank of Olga brought east-northeast gales onto the coast between Brisbane and Rockhampton. By 11pm 1 February (top frame Figure 3) the winds strengthened east of the trough in the Tasman Sea where a large fetch of east-northeast winds was developing while a small low developed on the coast north of Rockhampton. This low caused the gale force wind zone to become more extensive to its south. These east to northeast gales along the Central and southern Queensland coast generated large short period waves which along with the King tides caused beach erosion in many areas. The Emu park wave rider buoy, which is located in semi-enclosed waters southeast of Great Keppel Island, recorded the largest waves recorded there since its installation in 1996. Significant and maximum wave heights of 3.7metres and 7.4metres were recorded at 2am (Eastern Standard Time) on 1 February.

Along the Gold and Sunshine Coasts the significant wave heights varied from 3.5metres on the Mooloolaba buoy to 2.6metres on the Tweed Buoy. However the peak periods were only 8 to 9 seconds and the all eyes were on the extensive easterly to east-northeast fetch developing out in the Tasman Sea. The Central Queensland low weakened by 11pm 2 February (lower frame Figure 3) and a strong easterly wind fetch extended westward into the Tasman Sea as a trough extended south from New Caledonia. During 3 February (Figure 4) this trough moved towards the northern NSW coast and the strong pressure gradient with east to east-northeast winds stretched right across the Tasman Sea east of NSW and southern Queensland. Over the early part of this period this strong wind zone had been working on an easterly swell north of New Zealand generated by tropical cyclone Nisha (see Nisha report) so the resultant swell will be interesting.

In this report we have used data from the Bureau of Meteorology, observational data from Pacific Island Nations and data from the National Centres for Environmental Prediction/ National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) Reanalysis Project, which is available at: - http://nomad3.ncep.noaa.gov/ncep_data/index.html.
Wind data was also obtained from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) aboard the EUMETSAT METOP satellite. http://manati.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov/ascat/.
Wave data was obtained from the Queensland Government Environment Protection Agency's web site at: - http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/coast_and_oceans/waves_and_storm_tides/wave_monitoring/

Mean Sea Level Pressure analyses with available observations overlayed on Ascat wind fields in the top frame for 1200UTC 30 January 2010 (11pm Eastern Australian Daylight Time 30th) and in the lower frame for 0000UTC 31 January 2010 (11am Eastern Australian Daylight Time 31st).

Mean Sea Level Pressure analyses with available observations overlayed on Ascat wind fields in the top frame for 1200UTC 31 January 2010 (11pm Eastern Australian Daylight Time 31st) and in the lower frame for 0000UTC 1 February 2010 (11am Eastern Australian Daylight Time 1st).

Mean Sea Level Pressure analyses with available observations overlayed on Ascat wind fields in top frame for 1200UTC 1 February 2010 (11pm Eastern Australian Daylight Time 1st) and in lower frame for 1200UTC 2 February 2010 (11pm Eastern Australian Daylight Time 2nd). .

Mean Sea Level Pressure analyses with available observations overlayed on Ascat wind fields in top frame for 0000UTC 3 February 2010 (11am Eastern Australian Daylight Time 3rd) and in lower frame for 1200UTC 3 February 2010 (11pm Eastern Australian Daylight Time 3rd).

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