Conditions at Florence in January
January: Midwinter Groundswell Machine
January is the heart of the Oregon winter and delivers the most consistent, powerful groundswell of the year at Florence. Average swell heights reach close to 10ft (3.0m) with an average period of 12.8s, meaning the west-facing beach is constantly exposed to heavy, long-period W and WNW swell. Together, W and WNW make up nearly 29% of all swell observations, while WSW adds another 7.7%, so the window is locked in. With the Aleutian Low spinning up one storm after another, periods regularly push into the 13-15s range, producing fast, roping walls that hit the beach with real authority.
Winds remain the wild card. The ideal offshore quadrant - NE through SE - blows 41% of the time, and when high pressure clears a cold front out, east winds groom those long W/NW lines into clean, hollow surf. The rain is relentless, averaging 7.28 mm/day, and with air temps hovering near 8.5°C and water temps around 10.1°C, this is serious winter surfing. On the flip side, the S and SSW winds that dominate the wind rose can add cross-shore chop and make it feel messy, so timing the post-frontal windows is key.
Average Spot conditions at Florence in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Florence 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 Florence for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Florence 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 Florence.