Conditions at Albufeira in January
January: Winter Groundswell at Full Roar
January represents the core of the Algarve winter surf season. The average swell height is 3ft (1.0m) and the mean period hits 11.7s, the longest of the year, so powerful, long-period groundswell is the norm. The dominant swell-height class is 0.5-1m (1.5-3ft), with a strong secondary pulse in the 1-1.5m (3-5ft) range coming from WSW and SW. While W and WNW swells dominate the overall rose, the most consistent clean waves for Albufeira's south-facing beach come from the S/SW window (S, SSW and SW, roughly 10% of observations). Wind is ideal 35% of the time, with NNW (18.2%), NNE (8.6%) and N (5.5%) providing the offshore flow that grooms the surf. Water temperature is 15.9°C, air temperature averages 12.9°C and precipitation is frequent (1.84mm/day). Keep the 4/3mm wetsuit handy and target the days when a southwesterly groundswell meets a north wind - that combination lights up Albufeira.
Average Spot conditions at Albufeira in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Albufeira 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 Albufeira for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Albufeira 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 Albufeira.