Wyldewood Beach • Statistics for February

February: Frozen Margins and Short-Period Chop

February looks very similar to January but with slightly less energy: average wave height drops to 0.6m (2ft) and the average period to 3.8s. The swell rose remains locked into the southwest window - WSW leads with 19.1%, followed by SW at 14.2%, W at 13.6% and SSW at 6.3% - yet most of the energy sits in the smaller bins. Only a fraction of the waves reach 1m (3.3ft) or better, and the 3.8s period means the surface is dominated by steep, closely spaced windswell that breaks with little power and quickly turns lumpy. Wind conditions are even less cooperative: onshore S/SSW/SW/WSW flow accounts for over 42% of observations, with WSW alone at 18.7% and a high proportion in the 20-50kph range. Offshore N-to-ENE flow totals only 16%, and the ideal-wind statistic is a round 0%. Average air temperature sits at -3.0°C, with a min of -23.2°C, so water temperatures are at or near freezing and ice can become a limiting factor. February is for the truly dedicated - and even then, the odds are stacked against quality.