Cape Cleare - 17 NM South of Montague Is, AK
Alaska, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
4.6 ft
1.4 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SE 126°
Swell
3.9 ft1.2 m
10 sfrom SE 135°
Wind waves
2.3 ft0.7 m
5.9 sfrom SSE 158°
Mid-period swell leads: 3.9 ft at 10 s from the SE, with 2.3 ft of wind waves at 5.9 s from the SSE on top. Holding steady over the last 6 hours.
Significant wave height is the average of the biggest third of waves at the buoy. It is not surf height at a beach.
Trend at the buoy
Height at the buoy
- Total (significant height)
- Swell
- Wind waves
Period
- Swell period
- Wind-wave period
Hourly means of the buoy's readings. Arrows point the way the waves travel.
Model vs the buoy
- Buoy, hourly
- Model, past days
- Model forecast
Over the last 5 days, the model tracked the buoy within 10%.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 12 | 5.1 ft | 10 s | SSE |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 7.7 ft | 12 s | SSE |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 7.5 ft | 9.5 s | E |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 9.3 ft | 10 s | ESE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 10.0 ft | 10 s | S |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 8.9 ft | 11 s | S |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 16.1 ft | 8.9 s | ESE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 20.3 ft | 9.9 s | ESE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (59.500°N, 148.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Seal Rocks - Between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands, AK4.9 ftLive · 103 km
- West Orca Bay - 8NM NW of Hinchinbrook Is., AK1.6 ftLive · 136 km
- Western Prince William Sound0.0 ftLive · 145 km
- Cape Suckling - 35 NM SE of Kayak Is, AK32.2 ft · 13 sStale · 160 km
- Lower Cook Inlet1.0 ft · 5 sLive · 216 km
- Portlock Bank - 76 NM ENE of Kodiak, AK5.9 ftLive · 216 km
Nearest tide station: Macleod Harbor 44 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 48°F (8.8°C)
- Wind
- 14 kt from the ENE, gusts 16 kt
- Air temperature
- 43°F (6.1°C)
- Pressure
- 997.8 hPa
Reported Nov 12, 10:20 PM GMT-10.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SE and S.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 27.2 ft at 15 s on Nov 9.
- Station id
- 46076
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 59.508°N, 148.005°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-10 (open ocean)
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). Licence: Public domain (US government work). Station page at the source.
Not for navigation. Readings can be late, missing or wrong; check official marine forecasts before going to sea.
Buoy terms
- Significant height
- The average of the biggest third of waves the buoy measured. Sets in the surf zone can be bigger or smaller.
- Dominant period
- Seconds between the waves carrying the most energy. Longer period means more power and more bend around points.
- Swell vs wind waves
- Swell was made by distant wind; wind waves were made nearby. The buoy splits its spectrum at a cutoff period to report each.
- Direction
- Where waves come from, in degrees true. 270° is from the west.
