Conditions at Ericeira in October
October: The Atlantic Awakens
The North Atlantic roars to life during October, bringing a sharp jump in average surf heights along Portugal's coast. Ericeira sees the average swell rise to 2.0m (6.5ft) with periods of 11.4s, and the mix of NW, NNW and WNW swells becomes much more consistent. This is due to the climatological increase in extratropical storm activity over the North Atlantic. When a strong low pressure system tracks northwest of Portugal, it sends powerful long-period groundswell straight at the coast. The wind situation also becomes more favorable - ideal offshore flow from the NE through ESE occurs 22% of the time. These are the setups that produce clean, pumping 5-8ft (1.5-2.4m) waves under sunny skies. Water temps are still a comfortable 18.1°C, air temps around 17.6°C, and rain begins to pick up again. October is often considered the best month for quality-to-crowd ratio.
Average Spot conditions at Ericeira in October
Swell history for October
Wind history for October
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Ericeira during October. 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 Ericeira for your next trip in October.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Ericeira for October. 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 Ericeira.