Conditions at Sao Juliao in January
January: The Deep Winter Engine
January is statistically the heaviest month of the year at Sao Juliao. The average swell height peaks at 2.6m (8.5ft) with a powerful 13.0s period, and the dominant directions - NW (21.9%), WNW (17.7%), and W (4.7%) - are squarely in the beach's window. Add in the occasional NNW pulse (9.5%) wrapping in, and there is nearly always size on the paddle-out. The wind climatology is more varied than in summer, with significant windows of offshore ENE, E, ESE and SE flow around 25% of the time, often in the wake of passing cold fronts. Northerly winds are still common, but when the high pressure builds and the wind goes offshore, long-period NW groundswell turns the beach into a firing, powerful left-and-right reef-and-sand machine. Air temperatures average 11.5°C, water temp sits at 14.4°C, and precipitation is one of the year's highest at 2.49 mm/day, so keep a hood and a wetsuit handy between sessions.
Average Spot conditions at Sao Juliao in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Sao Juliao 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 Sao Juliao for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Sao Juliao 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 Sao Juliao.