Amado • Statistics for January

January: The Heart of Winter Power

January serves up the biggest, most consistent surf of the year at Amado, with an average swell height of 2.4m (8ft) and a long-period 13.1s average. The swell window is dominated by a massive 70 percent of waves arriving from the west-northwest, northwest, and north-northwest directions, all of which hit the exposed west-northwest-facing beach with full force. Over 27 percent of that energy arrives in the 2-2.5m (6-8ft) range, with another 17 percent pushing into the 1.5-2m (5-6ft) zone. The North Atlantic's mid-latitude cyclones are firing on all cylinders, and when those deep lows align with a positive NAO phase, Amado absorbs the brunt of the long-period groundswell.

The good news is that winds are more favorable than the seasonal average. The 'ideal wind' percentage reaches 28 percent, the second-highest of the year. Offshore flow from the east-northeast, east, and east-southeast is present, though the dominant wind direction remains north-northeast and north - these are cross-shore to slightly onshore, creating some texture. Still, the classic January scenario includes cold mornings, air temps around 13.8°C, and sea surface temps at 15.7°C, so a quality 4/3 wetsuit is essential. Precipitation is significant at 1.96 mm/day, often coinciding with passing frontal systems, but the post-frontal windows can deliver glassy, offshore conditions with firing waves. This is the month for charging 6-8ft (1.8-2.4m) faces at Amado.