La Jolla • Statistics for January

January: Winter Chop with Northern Energy

January is a tale of two swell sources. The dominant groundswell arrives from the NNE (30.1 percent) and NE (12.4 percent), with a solid portion in the 1.5-2m range, while a secondary S (23.2 percent) and SSW (14.6 percent) window brings mostly 3-5ft (1-1.5m) energy. The average swell height sits at about 4.5ft (1.4m), and the 10.1s average period is the lowest of the year, keeping the surf in the punchy but less organized category. The preferred NW/WNW/W/WSW swell direction is largely absent, so much of this energy arrives on an unfavourable angle for the east-facing beach.

Wind is the main issue. N and NNE winds combine for over 42 percent of the observations, often blowing 10-30kph, with ideal wind only 37 percent. This creates a chop-prone surface, especially when the stronger northern pulses overlap with a short-period swell. Air temperatures average 22.9°C and water temperature sits at 26.3°C, with minimal rainfall at 0.12mm/day. The saving grace is the dry, warm winter; if you can catch a light SW/WNW offshore window, the better NNE lines can still offer punchy 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) surf.