Tuesday 5 12 20 morning call

This is my pick of Jimmie Hepp's gallery of yesterday's windsurfing action at Hookipa.


4am significant buoy readings and discussion.
South shore
Barbers
1.9ft @ 13s from 198° (SSW)

Lanai

1.4ft @ 14s from 187° (S)

0.1ft @ 25s from 171° (S)

Some little 13-14s southerly energy at the buoys should make for a non flat day on the south shore. Check the Lahaina webcam if interested, for size, conditions and consistency.
BTW, I had to grab that insignificant 25s reading because you don't see many like that. Too bad it's only 0.1ft... if it only was 1ft, could have been head high plus! I actually have never seen, let alone surfed 25s swells! Wait, I'll take that back. I think I did in Indo, but didn't have a buoy reading to support it.

North shore
NW101
3ft @ 13s from 303° (WNW)

Hanalei
1.3ft @ 15s from 325° (NW)

Waimea

3.8ft @ 8s from 6° (N)

1.2ft @ 16s from 318° (NW)

Pauwela
2.9ft @ 11s from 355° (N)

2.5ft @ 7s from 51° (ENE)

2.3ft @ 9s from 12° (NNE)

Northerly energy keeps winding down all day while a new small NW pulse should start showing in the afternoon. Here's Pat Caldwell's description of the evolution of the fetch:

A low pressure system rapidly tracked from east of Hokkaido, Japan
5/7 to the NNE reaching the western Bering Sea 5/9. The longest fetch
with strongest winds to severe gales was over the 310-320 degree band
about 2100 nm away 5/8.  This event is expected to build locally near
dawn 5/12 on Oahu, peak late Tuesday near to a notch above average
centered from 315 degrees, then linger a near to a notch under the
average 5/13-14 from 305-325 degrees.

Below are the maps of May 7, 8 and 9 that will help follow. You can see how the fetch moved NNE across the great circle rays, which is not ideal. Plus, notice how remote it is and that will explains the modesty of the swell we'll receive. Start noticing the evolution of the next fetch (the one in today's map down below) and you'll see the exact opposite. It will move towards us (captured fetch) and keep building the same seas. Big swell this weekend.


With 3ft 11s from the N, Hookipa should be around the usual head high.

Wind map at noon (the other ones can be found at link n.-2 of GP's meteo websites list in the right column).


North Pacific fetches map (about 4 days travel time from the NW corner):


South Pacific fetches map (about 7 days travel time from east of New Zealand):


Morning sky.