Conditions at Mindelo in May
May: The Last Spring Fling
May is the last month of spring before the summer lull. Average swell is 5.6ft (1.7m) with a 9.8s period. The wave heights are dropping into the fun-sized category, and the swell direction is heavily rotated to the northwest: NW 26.9%, NNW 22.4%, WNW 21.3%, W 10.8%. The bigger issue is wind: NNW (28.5%) and NW (11.8%) dominate, leaving only 25% ideal wind. This produces a lot of small, short-period, wind-affected surf. A 6ft+ (1.8m+) WNW groundswell with an early E wind would still make Mindelo shine, but May is more about chasing clean tides than guaranteed quality. Water temp is 15.7°C, air temp averages 15.7°C, and rain is 2.5 mm/day.
Average Spot conditions at Mindelo in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Mindelo during May. 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 Mindelo for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Mindelo for May. 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 Mindelo.