The Fort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s break down The Fort in feet and Fahrenheit.

Right off the bat, I gotta tell you – the next couple of weeks are lookin’ pretty flat and uninspiring for The Fort. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and mostly messy winds. Not exactly the kind of forecast that gets a surfer out of bed early.

The water temp is sittin’ around 55°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. Just your standard winter chill.

We kick off with some tiny swell on Friday the 3rd, but it's accompanied by a light onshore or cross-onshore breeze and the wave comment flat-out says poor. That theme continues right through the weekend and into Monday. We’re lookin’ at swell heights of 1 to 2 feet, with a long period groundswell around 14-20 seconds, which means long lulls between sets. The combined energy is in the 200-300 range, so weak energy overall (233 to 311). Not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday the 7th morning sees a bump up to 5 feet from the WNW, but it’s got that cross-onshore wind and a period of just 11 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 1115. Still, the call is "marginal" – the wind’s gonna mess it up.

Wednesday the 8th and Thursday the 9th are more of the same: small swell, fresh to moderate cross-shore winds, and poor surf conditions.

Now, here’s a little glimmer – on Friday the 10th morning, the swell bumps up to 7 feet from the WNW, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore. That’s over 8 feet, so expert only territory with those short-period waves. Combined energy is 1024, which is strong, but the setup is messy. This one looks more like a kite-surfing day than a clean paddle session.

The rest of the second week is a drawn-out affair of 1 to 6 feet swell, mostly from the W or WNW, with short periods and onshore or cross-shore breezes. The combined energy drops back into the 200-500 range. Saturday the 11th morning shows 4 feet with light offshore wind from the W, which is about the best we get – but only a 9-second period and the call is still "marginal".

Honestly, there’s no standout session in this whole 16-day run. The best bet could be the early morning of Saturday the 11th, but it’s a stretch. We’re lookin’ at a long blank period with no real quality. It’s just one of those stretches where the ocean’s takin’ a breather.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the charts. It won’t stay this quiet forever.

Rusty.

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