Labor Day Weekend Forecast

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Aug. 28, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The last big weekend of the summer is rapidly approaching. Luckily, the marine forecast for much of the country is looking bright, but it's always best to know before you go. To help recreational boaters plan their Labor Day Weekend adventures, the marine forecasters at Buoyweather.com put together a short synopsis of what to expect on the water. As always, monitor your local waters via Buoyweather.com before you leave the dock.

West Coast

Offshore high pressure will interact with inland troughing/low pressure to set up moderate to fresh NW winds off much of the West Coast through the holiday weekend. Lighter and more variable winds are expected for some nearshore areas at times, especially inside the Southern California Bight during the mornings as well as portions of the Pacific Northwest. The current large S/SE swell from Hurricane Marie that is impacting portions of California will be on the decline.

East Coast

Hurricane Cristobal will move out to sea this weekend and its lingering swell will ease into the holiday weekend. A high pressure will gradually slide offshore through Saturday and Sunday setting up increasing S/SW winds and short-period seas for exposed waters. A cold front will approach New England on Labor Day — be sure to check updates on Buoyweather to see how this may impact local boating conditions.

Gulf Coast

A high pressure from the Atlantic will extend over the Gulf of Mexico, producing mainly moderate ESE/SE winds over the Gulf, though there will be some pockets of stronger winds/seas in places. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on the tropics this time of the year as well.

Florida

Offshore high pressure will take control of the weather pattern leading to mainly light S/SE to variable morning winds with increasing sea breezes in the afternoon. A bit stronger eastern winds are expected in South Florida though. In addition, the recent elevated seas the Sunshine State has experienced will come down a bit through the weekend.

Caribbean

Mainly moderate to fresh trade winds expected, but all eyes will be on a tropical wave moving through the region for potential development. The tropical wave will likely bring unsettled weather to portions of the Caribbean over the weekend. In addition, stronger trade winds and short-period seas are likely north of Colombia per normal.

Hawaii

Light to moderate trade winds (5 to 15 knots) are expected for much of the weekend. The trades will be lightest during the morning hours. We are looking for a decent sized swell from Hurricane Marie to reach east/northeast exposed shores on Friday before easing through the weekend. A modest long-period southern hemisphere swell will also produce occasional hazards near south-facing shores, especially near harbor entrances/inlets.

Great Lakes

A front will approach on Friday, setting up moderate to strong S winds for Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior while a bit lighter winds are forecasted for Lakes Erie and Ontario. A complex frontal system will set up highly variable and at times shifting winds for the region for Saturday and Sunday, before increasing S winds develop over the western lakes again on Labor Day. Overall, lots of changes expected for the Great Lakes with potential for showers/thunderstorms at times so please monitor the forecasts closely.

For up-to-the-minute marine forecasts, visit buoyweather.com or download the free Buoyweather app via iTunes or Google Play.