Ormond Beach • Statistics for January

January: Cold Fronts and Clean Offshores

January delivers some of the most consistent surf of the year at Ormond Beach. The average wave height runs around 2-3ft (0.7m) with an average period of 8.0s, putting it right in the sweet spot of punchy, rideable windswell. The swell rose is loaded with east-northeast energy: E swell accounts for 18.5 percent, ENE 14.3, NE 14.3, and ESE 11.9, while NNE adds another 10.2 percent. That is a great combination for this ENE-facing beach, especially when the wind swings offshore. The dominant wind direction is actually NNW at 13.4 percent, but the more important story is the 21 percent ideal wind days, mostly from W, WNW, NW and WSW. These blow across or off the sand and groom the otherwise lumpy short-period swell into clean, rippable walls. Air temperatures hover around 14.9°C and water sits at 19.3°C, so the winter chill keeps crowds thinner and the sandbars relatively firm. In short, January is a serious month for scoring uncrowded, clean if not huge surf.