Weekend surf’s up

Body surfers will get one of their first chances to enjoy what The Wedge is all about this black ball season when the Newport Beach wave spot gets a decent south swell this weekend and kicks up the surf.

Surfline.com forecasts the waves at The Wedge, the beach area on the far end of the Balboa Peninsula where the jetty and currents form a uniquely fast-forming and high-faced wave perfect for body surfing, at 2 to 4 feet this weekend. But occasionally, as they did Friday morning, a set will come in with peaks above 6 feet.

The southern swell was expected to pick up overnight into today, luring surfers to the legendary location to charge into the waters. It’s predicted to be a south to southwesterly swell today, with north to northwest winds picking up tonight.

While the weather may be primed for surfers, for everyone else, it will most likely not be the best of beach weather.

There’s a 30% chance of rain today with scattered showers in the morning and temperatures not expected to climb above 65. Wind gusts could reach up to 20 mph.

Both the swell along the coast and the weather are expected to ease over the weekend, with the sun expected to break in through the cloudy weather Sunday. The southern swell providing the tall faces at The Wedge are expected to diminish and a steady westward breeze is expected to carry through the day.

Temperatures are expected to pick up through Sunday and into next week, according to the National Weather Service.