Conditions at Pavoa de Varzim in May
May: Warmer Water, Smaller Waves
May is the first real month of summer-style surfing. The average swell height drops to 1.7m (5.6ft) and the period shortens to 9.8s - average, punchy and often wind-generated. The wave rose is dominated by NW (26.9%), NNW (22.4%) and WNW (21.3%), with W (10.8%) also present. There is almost no SW/SSW input anymore; the surf is basically northwesterly groundswell mixed with local windswell. The beach will see fun, rippable peaks in the 1-1.5m (3.3-4.9ft) range, but the heavy winter walls are gone.
Wind quality continues to deteriorate for spot conditions. Ideal offshore winds are present only 36% of the time. The prevailing NNW wind (27.3%) becomes the dominant player, blowing onshore at Pavoa de Varzim and making the surf lumpy and disorganized, especially in the afternoon. Early mornings are the window, when the thermal wind is still asleep and the overnight offshore breeze can leave clean, lined-up sets. Air temperatures reach a pleasant 15.7°C, water temp is 15.7°C, and rainfall drops to 2.5 mm/day. It is a decent month for small-wave fun on a groveler, but not the time to chase big swell.
Average Spot conditions at Pavoa de Varzim in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Pavoa de Varzim 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 Pavoa de Varzim for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Pavoa de Varzim 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 Pavoa de Varzim.