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Conditions at Praia da Cal in January
January: Summer Lull and Punchy Trade Swell
January sits deep in the Brazilian summer, and Praia da Cal feels it. Average surf remains a rideable 4-5ft (1.2-1.5m), but the 8.2s period puts it firmly in the average, punchy category - more windswell than groundswell. The swell window is dominated by ENE (20.6%), E (24.8%), ESE (20.9%) and SE (14.3%), with SSE (10.1%) and S (6.4%) chipping in; in practice, the beach sees a steady feed of easterly trade swell. The real problem is wind. Favorable offshore flow from W/WNW/NW/NNW only accounts for around 11.5% of the time, which contributes to the 32% ideal statistic. Instead, NE (19%), ENE (15.2%) and NNE (12.8%) trades dominate, putting a cross/onshore texture on the surface and limiting the truly clean days. Water temps sit at 23.5°C with air temp 22.5°C and 4.84 mm/day of summer rain - expect sticky, humid conditions and a busy lineup when the occasional morning offshore window lines up.
Average Spot conditions at Praia da Cal in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Praia da Cal during January. 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 Praia da Cal for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Praia da Cal for January. 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 Praia da Cal.