San Onofre State Beach • Statistics for November

November: The Real Season Is Back

November is a turning point at San Onofre. The average swell height sits at 3ft (0.9m) with a 12.8s period, but the character of the surf becomes far more serious. The swell directions are anchored by W 37%, WSW 36%, and SW 21%, with a bit of SSW, meaning almost all the energy is hitting the beach from a workable west-southwest angle. The height distribution is a blend of 2-3ft (0.5-1m) and 3-5ft (1-1.5m) waves, plus about 5% in the 5-7ft (1.5-2m) range. The period is long enough to hold an open face, and the incoming storm pulses are bigger and more organized than anything since March.

Wind patterns shift decisively back in our favor. Ideal wind conditions rise to 45%, with the offshore N-NE quadrant supplying over 25% of observations. Onshore winds drop to 22%, and the light W/WNW afternoon drift is more moderate. Air temperatures fall to 16.2°C, water temperature cools to 16.2°C, and rainfall increases to 0.81 mm/day. November provides the first full month of clean, powerful, offshore-groomed surf that makes San Onofre one of the premier winter breaks in Southern California.