Conditions at Foz do Arelho in January
January: The Deep-Water Winter Engine
January is the statistical peak of the surf year at Foz do Arelho. Average swell height reaches 9ft (2.8m) with a powerful 13.1s average period, and the bulk of the energy arrives from the NW, WNW and NNW quadrants - exactly the window this northwest-facing beach loves. Strong extratropical cyclones in the North Atlantic generate long-period groundswell that marches toward the Portuguese coast, with a large share of wave heights sitting in the well-overhead range and plenty of XL sets mixed in. The catch is wind: ideal offshore conditions happen about 31 percent of the time, with E to S winds in the wake of frontal passages giving clean, lined-up sandbars. When the wind clocks N or NW, the same swell quickly turns into choppy, onshore slop. With air temperatures around 12.2C and water at 14.2C, this is serious winter surfing.
Average Spot conditions at Foz do Arelho in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Foz do Arelho 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 Foz do Arelho for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Foz do Arelho 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 Foz do Arelho.