Cover shot from Wavemaps HD
Storm Chandra is coming. The UK-based Met Office has just named the next storm due to batter the UK and Ireland from today and into Tuesday, bringing strong wind and big surf this afternoon and into tomorrow.
A deep area of low pressure will bring rain and wind to the Isles of Scilly, West Cornwall and southwest Wales before moving into the Irish Sea where parts of Northern Ireland will see some crazy wind through Tuesday.
Chandra’s wind speeds will not reach the crazy heights of Goretti for parts of the country, which saw widespread destruction across coastal communities in the UK. However, the wind in Northern Ireland could top out between 70-to-80mph.
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But, what’s the surf going to be like? A weather front moving into today courtesy of Storm Chandra will bring 45mph gusts to the southwest coastline. A west swell from this storm will filter through tomorrow, Tuesday January 27th and continue through Wednesday – there could be a mid-week shift in the wind too, with Tuesday’s SW wind moving more SE as Wednesday plays out.
On Tuesday, Chandra may effectively break into three parts, delivering swell and wind for large swathes of the south west UK, with surf in the well overhead range for the open beachies. Similar story for Wednesday. Thursday there will still be plenty of swell in the water for the SW UK, but look at the main beachbreaks from the late afternoon for your best bet for clean(ish) conditions. A south wind will threaten proceedings.
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Our pals at Wavemaps, showing Chandra cross the Atlantic.
But take all of this with a pinch of salt. Storms are incredibly difficult to forecast, especially one this size. The forecast models (these are the individual algorithms companies use to forecast the weather) are in low agreement about this one will pan out yet. Even into tomorrow, there is still widespread uncertainty about how this will look. Best to keep an eye on the forecast right up until the storm lands and make a best bet.
What we can say with certainty is there will be plenty of swell and moments of quiet wind as the storm rolls through. Your mileage may vary with the swell, seek sheltered spots to make the most of it but only paddle out if it’s in you limits. We’ll update as and when we can.
