Surf's Up on Atlantic Coast Father's Day Weekend

June 16, 2012; 5:52 PM
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Surf, rip currents and offshore waves will be up a bit for the Father's Day weekend along the Atlantic coast.

Spectacular sunshine and warmth will have fathers and families flocking to the beaches and nearby coastal waters this weekend.

The combination of an offshore storm and high pressure along the Atlantic Seaboard will work together to create cool coastal breezes and stiff winds with big waves offshore.

Some of the offshore energy will reach the beaches and could make for moderate wave action.

Novice boaters and weekend warrior offshore fisherman may want to have preparations for 6- to 12-foot average seas.

Take care in the surf. Rip currents are almost always present. However, in situations like this, rip currents are stronger and more numerous.

The biggest waves (4 to 7 feet) and strongest rip currents will tend to be from Virginia Beach on south through the east coast of Florida this weekend. However, some periodic sizable surf action (waves of 3 to 5 feet) is possible on the Delaware, New Jersey and Cape Cod beaches as well.

Water temperatures are, on average, 3 to 5 degrees above normal this weekend. This puts surf temperatures at levels where they typically are during the Fourth of July.

The difference in pressure between the offshore storm and high pressure near the I-95 zone is creating a gusty wind offshore and a stiff northeasterly breeze at most area beaches. The pressure difference is strongest south of New England.

The fetch, or flow of this air from offshore to the coast, is driving bigger waves toward the coast.

Generally, beaches with a northeasterly exposure to the open Atlantic will have the greatest wave and rip current action in this situation.

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