Sunglow Pier • Statistics for December

December: Cold Fronts and Christmas Swells

December rounds out the year with the beach in full winter mode. The average swell holds at 2ft (0.7m) with an 8.4s period, and 65.5% of the spectrum arrives from the favorable NNE-NE-ENE-E quadrant. E (20.9%), ENE (19.2%), and NE (16.0%) keep the pier consistently in the action, with about 10.6% of waves reaching 3-8ft (1-2.5m). The real standout is the wind: ideal days jump to 20% - second only to January and February - and the NNW-NW-WNW complex makes up more than 28% of the wind rose. When a strong surface high settles over the eastern US and interacts with a deepening Atlantic low, the post-frontal offshore windows become long and clean, laying the pier's swell into beautiful, rippable peaks.

Air temps cool to 16°C (61°F), water drops to 21.5°C (71°F) - pack a 3/2 fullsuit and a hood for windy mornings. Rainfall is modest at 2.0 mm/day. A negative NAO during December can significantly boost nor'easter activity in the western Atlantic, translating to bigger and more consistent surf at Sunglow Pier. It's a fittingly reliable end to the surf year - after December, the slow slide into summer starts all over again.