Conditions at Maceda in December
December: Top Tier of the Season
December is statistically the cleanest and one of the biggest months of the year at Maceda. The average swell height is 1.7m (5-6ft) with a 12.3s period, and the ideal wind percentage peaks at 48% - more than any other month. That means you get large, long-period WNW/NW groundswell (WNW 38.5%, NW 20.7%, W 18.7%) more often than not in glassy or lightly-textured conditions. The higher frequency of eastern-quadrant winds (E and ESE totaling over 20% of the wind distribution) is the silver bullet for this west-facing beach. Air temps drop to an average of 11.3°C, water temperature cools to 14.0°C, and the weather turns rainy and stormy. If you're chasing heavy, clean winter surf on the Portuguese coast, December is a prime time to point the car to Maceda.
Average Spot conditions at Maceda in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Maceda 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 Maceda for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Maceda 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 Maceda.