{"id":164650,"date":"2022-12-09T08:59:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T12:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=164650"},"modified":"2022-12-09T09:38:12","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T13:38:12","slug":"2022-worst-swell-event-for-the-northeast-caribbean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/2022-worst-swell-event-for-the-northeast-caribbean\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 Worst Swell Event for the Northeast Caribbean"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

By Dale Destin<\/strong><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The Northeast Caribbean is in the midst of its most significant swell event for the year.<\/p>\n

Strong winds associated with Tropical Disturbance AL99, which has morphed into a large and powerful\u00a0extratropical cyclone<\/a>, centred about 2500 km (1500 miles) away, are pushing relatively large\u00a0swells<\/a>\u00a0toward the Northeast Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda and the rest of the Leeward Islands and the British Virgin Islands.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wind gusts (colour coded) and pressure (solid lines in mb) forecast by the ECMWF WAM 11km model for Thu Dec 8, 2022 UTC<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Swells started to arrive last Sunday and will continue through next week. Swells peaked over 2.7 metres (9 feet) on Monday and will peak even higher, above 3.5 metres (12 feet), over the next 24 hours.<\/p>\n

Swells are expected to decline a bit after the next 24 hours and will again peak at over 3 metres (10 feet) on Monday.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

NOAA Station 41044 \u2013 NE ST MARTIN \u2013 330 NM NE St Martin Is showing relatively tall swells heading toward the northern Caribbean<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Animation of forecast swells moving across the region from Tropical Disturbance AL99, as predicted by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) wave model (WAM). Time in UTC.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

This will be no\u00a0Swellmageddon<\/a>\u00a0but neither is it your garden variety swell event.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

It will be one of the worst swell events for the Northeast Caribbean and easily the worst swell event, thus far, for the year and of the swell season: December to April. Swells could occasionally exceed 4.5 metres (15 feet) tomorrow Friday.<\/p>\n

Naturally, a high surf warning is in effect for a number of islands.<\/p>\n

As usual, these swells will be virtually harmless in open waters, but they will be a very different \u201ckettle of fish\u201d when they run up on reefs and particularly northern and north-facing coastlines which are relatively shallow and gentle to moderately sloping.<\/p>\n

In these environs,\u00a0surfs<\/a>\u00a0(breaking swells) could be as much as twice the height of swells, as they crash onto shorelines.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

Precautionary actions:\u00a0<\/strong>No one should enter the waters of the main warning areas: northern and eastern coastlines.<\/p>\n

All are also urged to stay away from rocky and or coastal structures along affected coastlines.<\/p>\n

The year\u2019s worst swell event could cause, will likely continue to cause or cause, among other things:<\/p>\n