Conditions at Juist in January
January: North Sea Storm Machine
The North Atlantic is running at full tilt in January, and the average wave height at Juist reaches 4.3ft (1.3m) with a period of 6.0s. This is the biggest average monthly swell of the year, driven by a parade of extratropical lows marching toward Scandinavia. The most favourable swell energy comes from the NNW and NW sectors, which together account for around 23% of all observations, with plenty of 3-5ft (1-1.5m) and 5-6.5ft (1.5-2m) waves from the W, WNW and NW directions. The problem is the wind. SSW and SW winds dominate, blowing at 20-40kph for substantial parts of the month, ruining the shape of the north-facing sandbars. Intervals remain short on average, so the surf is often thick, closing out and fundamentally average. When the wind does clock into the SE to SSW quadrant, the 7% of the time the data says is ideal, those winter swells can suddenly become powerful, lined-up beach breaks. Air temperature averages 3.0°C, water temp drops to 4.6°C and precipitation runs 2.61 mm/day, so it is a raw, cold month for anyone willing to paddle out.
Average Spot conditions at Juist in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Juist 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 Juist for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Juist 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 Juist.