Conditions at Inches in January
January: Midwinter Grind Before the South Swell Window
January sits at the heart of the nominal best season at Inches. The average wave height is around 3ft (0.9m) with an average period of 6.2s, making it one of the more energetic months of the year. However, the directional distribution is dominated by east and east-southeast windswell: E swell accounts for 49.5 percent and ESE for 39.5 percent, while the S/SSW/SW window that this south-facing beach really wants contributes a negligible 0.1 percent. The result is a consistent but angled, short-period wave with most energy in the 1.5-3ft (0.5-1m) class and a healthy secondary push of 3-5ft (1-1.5m) surf from the E. Wind data shows ENE and E flow combining for roughly 69 percent of the observations, with NE at 13 percent adding some north component. Ideal winds occur 40 percent of the time; when a winter front puts the breeze into the N/NW, the surface cleans up and the E/ESE lines straighten out into proper little walls. With water temperature at 26.5°C, air temperatures near 24°C, and moderate rainfall around 2.2 mm/day, January is warm but not overly wet.
Average Spot conditions at Inches in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Inches 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 Inches for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Inches 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 Inches.