Ormond Beach • Statistics for August

August: Waiting for the Tropics

August remains small, but it is the first month of the season where tropical systems can begin to shake things up. Average wave height is still only 1-2ft (0.5m), though the average period nudges up to 8.2s. The swell rose is heavily tilted toward ESE at 42.6 percent and E at 28.7, with ENE at 12.3 - plenty of direction hitting the beach, but most of it from local windswell. The wind stats still favour onshore and sideshore flow: ESE at 10.5, SE at 9.7, S at 9.7, SW at 9.6, SSW at 9.2, with ideal offshore wind at just 8 percent. Water temperature reaches 28.1°C, air averages 27.4°C, and the daily thunderstorm machine is running at full tilt with 6.05mm/day of rain. The saving grace is the tropics: a well-placed hurricane or tropical storm in the Bahamas can turn this sleepy beach into a lively 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) NE/ENE groundswell destination almost overnight. Until that happens, keep expectations low and check the forecast early.