Newgale • Statistics for March

March: Spring Stirrings

March is a transition month. The average swell height eases to 4ft (1.3m) and the period drops slightly to 8.7s, but the swell window remains full of westerly energy. WSW still leads at 29.1 percent, with SW at 18.2 percent and W at 11.6 percent, so the beach keeps a steady supply of rideable waves. The proportion of larger 2m-plus swell begins to shrink, while clean 3-5ft (1-1.5m) waves become more common. The wind signals improve too: ideal offshore wind hits 10 percent, the highest since the previous autumn, and the NNE through E directions account for roughly 17 percent of all wind observations. Onshore WSW-SW wind drops to about 36 percent, and the weather becomes drier with precipitation down to 2.77 mm/day. Air temperatures rise slightly to 7.2°C, but the water is still a cold 8.4°C, so spring suit up and watch for the first warm easterly days to deliver glassy Newgale peaks.