Statistically speaking, January is the coldest month in the Northern Hemisphere. But that doesn't stop East Coast surfers from tackling all manner of waves big and small, at home and on the road. While some travelers prefer a warmwater escape to tropical destinations like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Barbados, others like to get their frigid jollies off in California and Mexico, where water temps don't drop quite as far as in the Northeast and Pacific swells stack up thousands of miles further out to sea than those in the Atlantic. But the first month of the calendar year wasn't a complete bust back East, with random swells lighting up Florida throughout the month and North Carolina and New Jersey going Richter on the last day of January. With February officially upon us, everyone's already looking forward to Valentine's Day, Spring Break, and other future hot, humid promises. For now, however, let's revel in all that was great about the coldest month of the year.
