2012 SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week Weather briefing

by SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week Media on 30 Aug 2012 At the SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week 2012 weather pre-event briefing on the deck of Peppers Blue on Blue at Magnetic Island this evening, Greg Connor from the Bureau of Metrology Townsville was upbeat when discussing the weather for the days ahead.

‘Some great weather ahead. In fact it is hard to muck up the weather at this time of year. We are expecting fine and sunny weather for virtually the whole regatta.

‘Perhaps there is a small risk of a shower on Saturday evening but most places will remain fine throughout. Cool overnight. Mid teens up to 27. Yes that is cool for us.

‘It is a bit lighter synoptically than we had last year. Last year we were well above average in terms of wind streams. (With winds gusting to 25-30 knots on a number of days).

‘We are going to slip back a bit more to average and synoptically today and tomorrow there is a weak inland trough. There won’t be much in the way of gradient wind. There is a very weak pressure gradient coming onto the coast but luckily here in Townsville we have the sea breeze.

‘It is a pretty reliable wind but it doesn’t really get going until after lunch and it is driven by some very warm temperatures just inland of Charters Towers.

‘Usually it comes in from the north east and it will peak between two and four o’clock so probably between today and tomorrow there will be a little bit of waiting around until the sea breeze gets in.

‘We are expecting a weak easterly change Saturday night when there might be the odd shower around but most places will be okay and then a high moves into the Tasman and it looks like the winds will strengthen a bit on Monday and then weaken again slightly Tuesday.

‘How it looks for tomorrow, we have got the gradient wind or the general wind. It is going to start out to be a weak north easterly five knots and not change much during the day and that’s enough for 13-14 knots sea breeze from about two o’clock onwards.

‘The sea breeze gets stronger the closer you are to the main coast so out in the bay the winds are slightly less than that. The closer you are to The Strand (on the Townsville foreshore) the stronger the sea breeze will be.

‘Sunday, Monday, Tuesday there might be more winds in the morning and might be able to get an earlier start. The tides; we are expecting a high tide tomorrow at 8:32 2.98 metres and a low tide at 2:37 in the afternoon of about half a metre.'