Conditions at Carcavelos in November
November: Winter's First Real Punch
November is firmly back in the surf sweet spot. Average swell height is 2.2m (7ft) and average period 12.0 seconds, meaning the Atlantic is once again delivering long-period, high-energy groundswell to the Portuguese coast. Direction-wise, NW (26.3%) and WNW (18.3%) remain the biggest contributors, but there is a clear increase in SW/SSW/S activity compared with October. Combined S, SSW, SW and WSW swell reaches nearly 5.5%, and those are the angles that really light up Carcavelos. When a low-pressure system stalls west of Portugal and sends a 2-3m S/SW swell into the SSW-facing beach, the bay becomes a proper big-wave set-up.
The wind stats show a better balance: NNW at 18.8%, NNE at 9.1%, N at 7.1% and NW at 7.0%, with ideal wind 46% of the time. That means plenty of offshore or cross-offshore mornings. November also brings the wettest weather of the year, with 3.01 mm/day of rain and air temps cooling to 15.6°C; water is still a reasonable 16.9°C. For heavy winter waves without the deepest winter chill, November is hard to beat.
Average Spot conditions at Carcavelos in November
Swell history for November
Wind history for November
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Carcavelos during November. 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 Carcavelos for your next trip in November.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Carcavelos for November. 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 Carcavelos.