Conditions at Kraakevika in January
January: The Full Force of the Norwegian Winter
The New Year opens with Kraakevika at its heaviest. The average swell height sits at 5ft (1.6m), the average period at 11.4s, and the dominant W/WSW/WNW/NW band accounts for over 60% of all wave energy. That is long-period, ground-swell territory: when the North Atlantic lows stack up between Iceland and Norway, the WNW-facing beach lights up with powerful walls of water in the 3-8ft (0.9-2.4m) range and a genuine XL threat when the heaviest lows move through. But wind is the catch. Only 22% of the time does the offshore ENE/E/ESE/SE quadrant blow clean, and the winter wind rose is dominated by SSW (15%) and S (10%), often riding the front of these storms. The surface can go lumpy and raw, so you need a cold, clear post-frontal day with E/SE winds and snow-dusted mountains behind you. Air temperatures hover around 0.9°C with 5.86 mm/day of precipitation, and water temperature drops to 6.3°C, so thick rubber is non-negotiable.
Average Spot conditions at Kraakevika in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Kraakevika 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 Kraakevika for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Kraakevika 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 Kraakevika.