Consolacao • Statistics for January

January: Winter's Heavy Artillery

The North Atlantic roars its loudest in January, when the average swell height at Consolacao peaks at 9ft (2.8m) and the average period stretches to a powerful 13.1 seconds. That is textbook long-period groundswell - the kind of energy that travels thousands of miles from extratropical storms between Newfoundland and Ireland before detonating on the Portuguese coast. Swell data show a strong bias toward the optimal NW (18.4 percent) and WNW (15.2 percent) directions, with a bonus of NNW (8 percent) and W (4.4 percent) energy mixed in. Around 40 percent of the time the swell is coming from the prime west-northwest window, which is exactly what this beach needs to organize into steep, bowling peaks. The surface conditions are also at their best in January, with a 38 percent chance of favorable offshore flow. When the continental thermal low and Atlantic highs align, light easterly winds keep the faces clean. Sea water temperature sits at 14.4°C (58°F), so a quality 4/3 wetsuit with boots and gloves is standard. Air temperatures average 12.2°C, and with winter precipitation at 2.82 mm/day you will be picking your swells between Atlantic fronts. In a negative North Atlantic Oscillation pattern, the storm track shifts south, and Consolacao can turn on for days of heavy, XL surf.