Blacks Beach • Statistics for January

January: The Winter Peak, Locked and Loaded

January is one of the finest months of the year at Blacks Beach. The North Pacific winter machine is running at full throttle, with extratropical lows churning across the Gulf of Alaska. The swell rose confirms it: west (W) swell accounts for a massive 62.8 percent of all observations, while WSW adds another 25.2 percent. Average swell height sits at 1.0m (3.3ft) and the average period is 12.6s - squarely in the powerful long-period range. The wind data is just as promising. Ideal offshore flow from ENE, E, ESE and SE blows an excellent 49 percent of the time, thanks to strong high pressure over the western deserts. This is the classic recipe for clean, lined-up walls. Water temperature holds at 14.7°C (58°F), air temps average 14.6°C (58°F), and winter storms bring 2.29 mm/day of rain. When a 1.5-2m (5-6.5ft) WNW swell aligns with a cold offshore breeze, Blacks Beach is one of the best waves in Southern California.