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Conditions at Playa Madrono in January
January: Punchy Trade-Swell Start to the New Year
The dry-season trade wind machine is in full throttle along Panama's Pacific coast in January. Ideal offshore wind conditions clock in 62 percent of the time, with N, NNE and NNW flow frequently blowing in the 10-20 and 20-30kph brackets. Average swell height sits at 3-4ft (1.1m) and the average period is 9.1s, so expect punchy, average-period waves rather than long-period groundswell.
Swell direction is split: a large share arrives out of the N/NNE/NNW quadrant as trade windswell, while SSW/SW swell is already contributing around 22 percent of the wave energy. Most of the surf falls in the 2-5ft (0.5-1.5m) range, keeping the break in the fun-sized to solid, rippable zone. With air temps near 26.3°C, rainfall at just 1.39mm/day and water temperature at 27.4°C, January is one of the most comfortable, consistent surf months of the year.
Average Spot conditions at Playa Madrono in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Playa Madrono 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 Playa Madrono for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Playa Madrono 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 Playa Madrono.