Hobe Sound Public Beach • Statistics for December

December: Winter Solstice Surge And Frontal Cleanups

December closes the year with the winter pattern fully established. The average swell height is a solid 4ft (1.2m) with an 8.0s period, and the NE/ENE/NNE/E quadrants combine for nearly 68 percent of the swell energy. The period is still long enough for powerful, organized lines, and the waves are more consistent than any other month except November. Cold fronts march across the Gulf and Southeast with increasing regularity, and each one brings a characteristic wind shift: from SW to W to NW, which on this east-northeast-facing beach means offshore. Ideal wind conditions occur 18 percent of the time, and those days are special - glassy faces on a strong NE groundswell, with water temps holding at a pleasant 24.7°C. Air temps average 21.6°C and precipitation is low at 2.11 mm/day, making it one of the drier and more appealing winter months. When the NAO dips negative and the East Coast storm track gets active, December can serve up some of the best holiday surf of the year.