Conditions at Alvor in December
December: Winter's Full Send
December wraps up the year with a 1.4m (4.5ft) average swell and a strong 12.3s average period, tying with January and February for the biggest winter surf. The wave rose shows a healthy mix: WNW 27.5 percent, NW 24.9 percent, W 11.5 percent, WSW 6.6 percent, and SW 3.8 percent, with S/SSW direct swell also present. Ideal wind sits at 37 percent, with NNW 16.1 percent, N 5.2 percent, NNE 7.1 percent, and NE 5.9 percent providing clean offshore windows. Water temperature is 16.7°C, air averages 14.9°C, and precipitation is the highest of the year at 2.97mm/day. The winter solstice brings maximum storm energy to the North Atlantic, and Alvor can see pumping, heavy surf when S and SW groundswell line up with a north wind. The catch is timing: frontal passages often bring strong S/SW onshores that wreck the quality, so the smart money is on the post-frontal days when the wind snaps offshore and the Atlantic delivers its best.
Average Spot conditions at Alvor in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Alvor 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 Alvor for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Alvor 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 Alvor.