- Home
- ...Australia
Australia- Scarborough
Conditions at Scarborough in January
January: Summer Seabreeze & Smaller Groundswell
The high-summer doldrums settle over Scarborough with an average swell height of around 1.9m (6ft) and a period of 11.6s. Southern Ocean energy is still present, but the big, raw winter fetches are missing. Swell direction is heavily dominated by SSW (33.7%) and SW (47.5%), so the primary groundswell arrives right at the exposed WSW-facing beach. The catch is the wind: ideal surfing winds blow only 21% of the time. The synoptic pattern is controlled by the subtropical ridge, which generates a classic morning land breeze from E/ESE, but afternoons are dominated by sea breezes out of SSW and S. Those SSW and SW winds are onshore at this spot and rapidly turn the swell into a cross-choppy mess. With air temperatures around 22.9°C, water at 21.8°C and just 0.52mm/day of rain, it is a warm month to be in the water - just get your surfs in before 10am.
Average Spot conditions at Scarborough in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Scarborough 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 Scarborough for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Scarborough 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 Scarborough.