Conditions at Coxos in December
December: Year-End Heavywater
December closes the year with a statement. Average swell sits at around 8.2ft (2.5m), average period is 12.7 seconds, and the wind is ideal 25 percent of the time, one of the highest marks of the season. The swell distribution is broad but powerful: NW 21.2 percent, WNW 15.2 percent, NNW 11.3 percent, W 6.1 percent, and WSW 3.0 percent. While NW is the workhorse, the WNW/W/SW component is more present than in summer, giving the west-southwest facing beach the direct, lined-up swell it loves. Large storm systems in the North Atlantic and a frequently negative NAO pattern can send severe, pumping surf through the Portuguese coast; this is when Coxos turns serious and jaw-dropping. NE through ESE offshore winds occur around 25 percent of the time, so there are plenty of clean, glassy mornings between fronts. Air temperatures are wintery at 12.3°C, water drops to 14.9°C, and precipitation is high at 2.69 mm/day. Bundle up, watch the charts, and be ready: December at Coxos is heavy, cold and world-class.
Average Spot conditions at Coxos in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Coxos 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 Coxos for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Coxos 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 Coxos.