Conditions at Mindelo in January
January: The Full Force of the North Atlantic
January is typically the biggest month of the year at Mindelo. The North Atlantic is in full winter mode, with deep low-pressure systems spinning up powerful groundswells that roll into Portugal from the WNW and NW. The average swell height of 8.9ft (2.7m) and 12.6s period puts the beach in the powerful, long-period range, and a large share of the waves arrive from WNW (19.1%) and NW (14.3%), with a further 6.4% from W and 6.1% from NNW. When the direction is more W/WNW, Mindelo's west-southwest exposure is right in the sweet spot, producing clean, grinding waves; the NW/NNW swell is more angular and loses some push but still wraps into the beach. Offshore flow is best from the eastern quadrant (NE through ESE), and with an ideal wind score of 47%, January gives plenty of opportunities for glassy conditions. E winds are especially common (10.5%), backed up by ENE and ESE totals. The downside is the colder air: average air temp is 9.8°C, water temps hover near 13.3°C, and precipitation averages 4.4 mm/day. Throw on the thick suit and enjoy the winter juice.
Average Spot conditions at Mindelo in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Mindelo 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 Mindelo for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Mindelo 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 Mindelo.