Weather News

Big waves and rough seas on the horizon

Ben Domensino, Wednesday May 9, 2018 - 11:46 AEST

Large and powerful waves will impact parts of Australia's southern and eastern coastlines in the coming days.

Gale to storm force winds associated with a complex low pressure system will generate stormy seas around southeastern Australia at the end of this week.

Waters off the nation's south coast will be the first area to experience the large waves and rough seas as the system surges up from the Southern Ocean.

Significant wave heights are forecast to reach 5-7 metres in waters near exposed coasts of central and eastern SA, western Victoria and Tasmania from Thursday into Friday. Maximum wave heights will be larger than this and beaches will be dangerous for activities like surfing.

As the low passes into the Tasman Sea on Friday, powerful southerly winds will develop rapidly on its western flank and churn up the ocean's surface. These southerlies will persist into the weekend as the low moves further into the Tasman Sea, which will help maintain the large swell.

Coasts in eastern Victoria and NSW that are exposed to southerly swells will see wave heights increase quite rapidly on the weekend. Waves will remain large into the start of next week as the energy in the ocean takes time to dissipate.

Conditions for coastal activities such as boating, fishing and surfing are likely to deteriorate rapidly in the coming days, so be sure to check the latest forecasts and warnings before you head out.

- Weatherzone

© Weatherzone 2018

Enter a postcode or town name for local weather, or text to search the site. » advanced search

Weather News

» all stories

Australia's tropical cyclone season coming to an end

16:40 AEST The 2023-24 Australian tropical cyclone season is almost over and while it was a quiet season based on overall numbers, some of the landfalling systems had a big impact.