North Sails weather outlook for the week

Meteorologist Roger ‘Clouds’ Badham at his desk in Team NZ’s Viaduct base © Emirates Team New Zealand

North Sails have again kindly enlisted Roger ‘Clouds’ Badham – one of the most respected meteorologists in yachting – to provide us with a daily weather forecast for the 20th annual BOISW regatta.

‘Clouds’ has been involved with yacht racing for five decades and has forecast 10 America’s Cups, nine Olympics Games, more than 40 Sydney to Hobart races and countless world championships and major sailing events. There’s a great interview with Clouds on the Broad Reach Radio podcast which you can listen to here.

North Sails Weather Forecasts will be issued daily before racing begins – view them on the website, Facebook, email and BOISW app.

MON 23 7.30am

THIS WEEK
Low pressure Coral Sea and also the western Tasman Sea will push the high ridge south across the North Island this afternoon and this evening – that will take the gradient flow from S around to the E-NE.
High pressure will then move to the east of NZ and a NE flow looks to remain over Coromandel to North Cape all this week.
The Coral Sea low pressure will come closer from the north later in the week with stronger NE flow. The global models are differing a little – the EC model has the low edge back to the west on Friday with the NE breeze tending E-SE then back to the NE by Monday next week. The GFS model only to the E and not as strong next week.

TODAY
S-SE gradient is easing as the ridge crosses from the north – pretty soft morning with the wind shifting left. The S breeze will ease and trend left this afternoon from E-NE.
Always more breeze out wide and less in close.

FORECAST
0800 160-190/6-9
1000 130-160/8-11
1200 ESE-E/5-8
1400 050-070/9-12
1600 030-050/10-13
1800 020-040/4-7

AHEAD – BOI
TUE 24 E-NE/5-10 then NE/12-15 for the afternoon
WED 25 ENE-NE/15-18
THU 26 NE/15-20; some showers
FRI 27 NE-ENE/15-20; rain

GETTING BACK
SAT 28 ENE/12-16
SUN 29 ENE/15-10 easing to the south.