Conditions at Carnon in January
January: Deep Winter SE Swell and the Mistral
January is at the heart of Carnon's cold-water surf season. Average wave height sits at 2ft (0.6m) with a short-period 4.6s windswell, and the ideal-wind window opens 8% of the time. The S direction is the top swell producer at 11%, while SE adds 9.9% and the combined SE-SSE-S-SSW window contributes 36.5% of the monthly wave energy - all aimed at the SSE-facing beach. Wind-wise, the offshore quadrant is huge: N, NNE, NW and NNW account for a combined 50%, with NNW (18.3%) and NW (16.5%) dominating thanks to frequent Mistral events. That strong offshore flow can groom the face, but it also beats the ocean into lumpy, short-period chop, and only a few hours a week are both clean and ridable. Air temps average 7.2°C, water drops to 11.2°C, and the rain is persistent. This is hood, booties and thick rubber territory, but for the local crew it is also the most alive the beach gets.
Average Spot conditions at Carnon in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Carnon 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 Carnon for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Carnon 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 Carnon.