Tuncurry Breakwall • Statistics for March

March: Autumn's First Promise

Autumn arrives, and with it the first meaningful shift in the wind climate. Ideal offshore wind jumps to 23 percent, and the SW/W sector begins to strengthen-WSW and W now combine for 5.8 percent of observations, up from 2.5 percent in February. The swell is still generous: average height 5.9ft (1.8m) and the average period stretches to 9.3s, giving it more shape on the breakwall. The direction field becomes more mixed, with E, ESE, SE and SSE each delivering 16-18 percent; the NNE-NE-ENE-E window still provides 31 percent of the waves, enough to make the most of a west change. Rain is more frequent with 5.34 mm/day, but water temperature remains a pleasant 23.5°C. March is a good month to start watching the synoptic charts-an East Coast Low can still deliver solid E/NE swell, and when the westerly blows down the coast, Tuncurry can be surprisingly good.