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Conditions at Ditch Plains in December
December: The Long Cold Grind
December rounds out the year with consistent winter size but imperfect conditions. The average swell height stays at 4.3ft (1.3m), while the average period is the shortest of the year at 6.4s, meaning lots of locally generated windswell. The direction mix is not ideal for the beach: SSW (9.8%) and S (9.3%) are still the best, but SW (8.6%), WSW (8.4%), W (7.1%) and WNW (7.5%) take up a large share of the energy. The wind rose is ruled by W (11%), WNW (12.9%), NW (12.4%) and NNW (11.6%), which is good for offshore flow but often too strong; ideal wind hours sit at only 11%. Water temperature drops to 8.7°C, air averages 5.3°C and precipitation reaches the annual maximum of 3.99mm/day. If you can find a day with moderate NW/NNW wind and a fading S/SSW swell, Ditch Plains will give you clean, punchy winter waves, but holiday cold fronts and stormy east winds are the norm.
Average Spot conditions at Ditch Plains in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Ditch Plains 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 Ditch Plains for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Ditch Plains 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 Ditch Plains.