Conditions at Ribeira das Janelas in January
January: The Deep-Water Engine Room
January is peak winter at Ribeira das Janelas. The average swell height sits around 8-9ft (2.4-2.7m) with a period near 12.9s, meaning the North Atlantic is delivering serious groundswell. Most of the open-ocean energy arrives out of the NNW and NW, while the N and NNE quadrants still contribute direct fetch energy for the beach. When those N-to-ENE swell angles line up, this NE-facing stretch picks up the waves with real power. The problem is the wind: NNE and NE flows dominate more than 40% of the time, blowing directly onshore and chopping up the surface. The ideal offshore wind direction for this spot comes from S, SSW, SW and WSW, but it only blows around 18% of the time in January. Air temperature averages 17.2°C, water temperature is 18.7°C, and precipitation comes in at 1.19 mm/day, so expect a few proper rain squalls between the clean sessions.
Average Spot conditions at Ribeira das Janelas in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Ribeira das Janelas 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 Ribeira das Janelas for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Ribeira das Janelas 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 Ribeira das Janelas.