Long Sands • Statistics for February

February: Cold, Clean and Consistent

February looks almost identical to January on the surface: average swell 1.3m (4ft), period 7.5s, and a mix of north and north-northeast energy pulsing across the North Sea. The NNE signal remains the leading swell direction, while ENE and E contribute enough secondary energy to keep the beach open for a variety of takeoff zones. The bigger sets - 1.5-2m (5-7ft) - show up most often from the NNE and N, meaning the beach can see proper winter-sized peaks when a low-pressure system stalls near Norway or the Denmark Strait.

The catch in February is wind. The ideal wind percentage dips to 29%, and although WSW and W still dominate, there's a slight increase in onshore NE/ENE winds compared to January. When the pressure gradient tightens, those cold continental easterlies can make Long Sands a windblown mess. Still, with water temperature at 6.1°C and air temps hovering around 4.9°C, the surf is cold but generally clean enough on the many WSW/W/SW days. The North Atlantic doesn't take a break in February, and neither does Long Sands.