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Conditions at Ipanema in December
December: Summer Returns, Small but Rippable
December closes the year with summer officially back in force. Average swell height drops to 1.1m (3-4ft), average period is 9.7s, and most of the energy is shorter-period, trade wind swell from ESE/SE/SSE. The S component is still present at 24.9 percent and SSE at 27.4 percent, which means Ipanema can turn on for a few hours when an early-season S pulse arrives, but the overall size is modest. The wind is ideal 50 percent of the time, and morning N/NNW offshore flows often provide clean conditions before the afternoon sea breeze and unstable summer showers take over. Air temperatures rise to 24.7°C, water temperature warms to 21.9°C, and rainfall is the highest of the year at 7.05 mm/day. Expect small, fun, rippable waves and plenty of crowd - this is low season for serious swell, not low season for beach life.
Average Spot conditions at Ipanema in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Ipanema during December. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Ipanema for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Ipanema for December. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Ipanema.