Conditions at Florence in May
May: Shoulder-Season Slippage
May is where the summer regime begins to bite. Average swell height falls to around 6ft (1.8m), and the period drops to 10.8s as the jet stream retreats north. The swell window is still full of WNW (26.7%), W (22.7%), and NW (18.5%) energy, but much of it is lower-quality, moderate-period windswell rather than powerful groundswell. Rippable, fun-sized waves are still on the table, especially on the 1.5-2m (5-6ft) sets, but the heavy, pumping days become the exception.
The trade-off for Florence is brutal in May. Ideal surf wind plummets to 16%, and the wind rose becomes dominated by a strong NNW flow at 37.2%. That summer northerly pump is onshore and cross-shore for this west-facing beach, raking the surface and making the waves soft and bumpy. Drier weather arrives with only 2.22 mm/day of rain, air temps rise to 11.7°C, and water temps reach 11.8°C, but you will be trading clean winter bombs for a windswept, average-quality lineup.
Average Spot conditions at Florence in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Florence 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 Florence for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Florence 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 Florence.