Punta de Lobos • Statistics for September

September: Spring Transition Surge

September marks the fast-moving spring transition in the Southeast Pacific. The storm track begins its seasonal retreat, but not before one last hurrah. The most striking signature in the data is the surge of true SW swell: 39 percent of the wave rose now comes from the southwest, the highest of any month, while WSW relaxes to 47 percent. W-WNW-NW windows still contribute about 10 percent combined, keeping the NNW-facing point well fed. Average height eases to 5ft (1.6m) and the period holds at 12.5s - slightly smaller than midwinter, but still firmly in the powerful, long-period class.

Wind quality sharpens as the days lengthen: ideal surfing wind climbs back to 69 percent, and the offshore S-SSW-SW sector delivers 55 percent of all observations, with SSW alone at 23 percent. Onshore N-NNW winds fade to about 18 percent combined and are generally light. Rainfall drops to 1.24 mm/day, air temperatures warm to 11.3°C (52°F), and the water sits at a still-chilly 12.3°C (54°F). For the surfer, September is a sweet spot: winter swell still pulsing, but with noticeably cleaner, more consistent offshore days and a growing chance of sunshine between the fronts.