Weekend Forecast for 5/23-5/25

East Coast Overview: More windswell down south for the weekend: The big bout of easterly windswell that hit the Southeast coast this week is to still be hanging on come Saturday, biggest in Florida but providing some rideable surf on up into Cape Hatteras. High pressure is to hold off the mid-Atlantic while some degree of low pressure holds in the Gulf of Mexico, setting up a pressure gradient and generating continuous east to southeast winds at near 20 kts funneling into the Florida /Georgia coast. This to result is fun sized surf, but dropping into Sunday as the gradient starts to dissipate.

Southeast: Get on it. Saturday chest high east windswell continues early with southeast adding a lightly chop.  Sunday the windswell fades some but not out at thigh high Monday more thigh high east shorter period windswell continues.

Mid-Atlantic: Saturday thigh high short period east-southeast windswell continues.  Sunday a mix of knee high east and south windswells dribble in providing something to ride, but not great.  More of the same is expected on Monday with the south windswell the far more dominant one, only visible at breaks with good southern exposure.

Northeast: Unfortunately virtually no rideable surf is expected Saturday, Sunday or Monday.

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West Coast Overview: Windswell for the weekend, and a little more down south: The usual summer time pressure gradient is set up off Cape Mendocino, with strong high pressure in the Gulf of Alaska generating north winds at 30+ kts and expected to hold through the weekend. This is to generate a healthy dose of north angled windswell pushing into Central CA and exposed breaks in Southern CA. Certainly fun and rideable and maybe a little more up north. And intermixed is to be some southern hemi very south angled and relatively weak swell coming from a system that formed off Chile the week before. This ought to make for fun rideable surf if you know where to look.
Pacific Northwest Overview: Small again this weekend: A summer pattern is fully in control, with virtually nothing going on the in the Gulf of Alaska except high pressure. In fact, whatever windswell is provided for the long weekend is to really be the byproduct of a strong pressure gradient over Cape Mendocino CA. North winds feeding into it from as far north as Vancouver Island on Friday as to provide some short period windswell, but pretty limited. And as the wind dies some on Monday, so does the windswell. In Oregon on Saturday north local windswell is expected at shoulder high fading some to waist high on Sunday and down to thigh high on Monday with north-northwest winds on it all three days. Washington to be smaller still.
Northern CA: Saturday 1-2 ft overhead northwest local windswell is expected with light northwest winds early and a little textured.  Sunday local northwest windswell is expected at 1 ft overhead.  Monday more local northwest windswell continues at shoulder high with southwest eddy winds adding some texture but not too bad.

Central CA: Saturday head high plus northwest local windswell is expected with waist high southern hemi south swell underneath and northwest winds making for heavily textured conditions. Sunday local northwest windswell is expected at shoulder to head high with waist high southern hemi background swell underneath and northwest winds backing down some.  Monday more local northwest short period windswell is expected at chest high.

Southern CA: Saturday thigh high plus northwest local windswell is expected at exposed breaks with waist high southern hemi south swell underneath. Sunday that windswell continues at thigh high up north with waist high southern hemi background swell intermixed.  Monday only the northwest local windswell is to be left, and only at knee high or so early.

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Hawaii Overview: Small, but rideable: For the North Shore a small pulse of north windswell coming from a cutoff low that has been hanging north of the Islands all week is to still be dribbling in, perhaps making for some small but rideable windswell. This to also provide a little hope for the East SHore, which has been starved for the normal easterly tradewind generated swell. No luck for that as long as that cutoff low hangs north of the state. And for the South Shore, yet another pulse of small southwesterly swell is expected in late Saturday (after sunset) originating from a gale that tracked through the Tasman Sea (Australia) last weekend. Fiji has stolen a good chunk of this one’s energy, so don’t expect too much. Still, a longboard might make it entertaining.

North Shore: There some low odds for thigh high north-northwest short period windswell on Saturday and Sunday, then going flat by Monday.

South Shore: No surf is expected on Saturday but then another pulse of background southwest angled southern hemi swell expected at waist high plus on Sunday fading to thigh to waist high on Monday.

East Shore: Quiet conditions continue to prevail over the weekend with only limited thigh high north-northwest wrap around short period windswell at exposed breaks Saturday and Sunday, going flat on Monday.