Overview
We have a low off the Southeast coast that formed in the wake of a dissipated cold front. While the storm is not predicted to develop in to a tropical system, it still is creating the wind necessary to build a small swell for Florida this weekend. Given the time of year and the conditions present this tropical season, we’ll have to watch this area for development in the future as more cold fronts dip south.
Storm Details
This low is forecast to create a nice field of Northeast winds, which will develop in to a windswell of about 3 feet at 8 seconds. Unfortunately, the low is set to race-off to the Northeast within a day, so swell generation potential is pretty limited- A one day “event.” Check out the windfield from the latest ASCAT pass.
As seen in the graphic below from WaveWatch 3, the swell should clock in from about 45 degrees, which is a good amount of North tilt. This bodes well for South Florida, since the swell should reach a bit further South in to the Northern Palm Beaches. My only concern for the surf conditions down in South Florida is the relatively small size/strength of the swell. It may not have enough juice to make the journey all the way down, so you may want to hedge your bet by heading upcoast.
Florida Forecast
(North of Palm Beach)
Look for this little windswell to start arriving on Saturday afternoon/evening. Surf should build through midday on Sunday, which coincides with a low tide at around 1pm. Incoming push in the afternoon will probably be your best bet, but I wouldn’t recommend waiting around much, since it might fizzle out as fast as it arrived. Winds are looking good, though. Forecast for WSW winds under 10 kts.
Saturday: Starts out very small and with a high tide softening whatever trace of swell is on tap. Look for conditions to improve as the tide drops. The wind should also start to come around to the SW, cleaning up whatever little swell is trickling in.
Sunday: Waves in the waist high range with offshore winds. Nothing huge, but could be pretty fun at the right sandbar/tide.