wave height · Portugal
Nazaré Canyon
Winter peak significant wave height
Modelled demonstration series · not observed data
The canyon acts as a lens: it takes an ordinary Atlantic storm swell and concentrates it into something several times larger at one specific break. That amplification means the difference between a big winter and a historic one is small offshore and enormous at the headland. Coastal erosion along this stretch follows the same multiplier.
75 years, modelled
Same reading, two normals
| Normal | Mean | σ | Pct | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1980 | 9.10 m | +2.30σ | 99th | 1 in 93 years |
| 1991–2020 | 9.39 m | +2.29σ | 99th | 1 in 90 years |
Today would rank 3 of 76 for highest value in the modelled series. Nothing about the reading changes between rows — only the yardstick.
The season here
An underwater canyon focuses North Atlantic swell into one point on this coast, which is why the biggest surfed waves on Earth break here.
Where this series comes from
MODELLED SERIES — not observed. Parameters set from published Nazaré/Leixoes buoy winter wave climatology. The 75 annual values are synthesised by the seeded generator.
Every number on this page comes from a modelled series: 75 annual values synthesised by a seeded generator from published climatological parameters for Nazaré Canyon. It shows how anomaly reasoning works. It is not a measurement and must not be cited as one.
How to read σ
σ counts standard deviations from this place's own normal. The sigma guide · return periods.
More wave height stations
Open Nazaré Canyon on the field →