Gilleleje Havn • Statistics for January

January: The Deep-Winter Gamble

January is statistically the best month of the year at Gilleleje Havn, which shows just how marginal the local surf scene is. The average swell height reaches about 2ft (0.6m), the highest of the entire calendar, with an average period of 4.2s. That period puts it firmly in the choppy, messy category, but among the short-period soup there is at least some energy. The dominant wave directions are WSW, SW and W, with totals of 14.4 per cent, 13.2 per cent and 10.6 per cent respectively. Those angles do not line up well with the NNE-facing exposure. The good N-NNE-NE-NNW window, including nearby NW, accounts for only around 19 per cent of observations, and almost all of that is in the 0-3ft (0-1m) range. Wind data tell a similar story: WSW and SW winds dominate, and while a SW wind is technically offshore for this beach, it is rarely accompanied by a well-angled swell. Ideal surfing wind is present just 1 per cent of the time. Air temperatures average 0.7°C with precipitation near 2.1mm/day, and the water temperature is 3.1°C. Expect cold, raw, stormy conditions and a few short but punchy windows when the wind finally goes S/SSW.