Cape Mendocino, CA
California, United States
Last wave reading:
Last reading
This reading is more than 3 hours old. The buoy may have stopped sending waves for now.
Significant wave height at the buoy
9.2 ft
2.8 m
- Dominant period
- 13 s
- Direction
- from WNW 283°
Swell
7.9 ft2.4 m
13 sfrom WNW 293°
Wind waves
4.6 ft1.4 m
9.5 sfrom WNW 293°
Long-period groundswell leads: 7.9 ft at 13 s from the WNW, with 4.6 ft of wind waves at 9.5 s from the WNW on top.
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
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 27.9 ft | 18 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 28.9 ft | 18 s | WNW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 20.1 ft | 15 s | W |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 18.7 ft | 15 s | WNW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 14.3 ft | 14 s | WNW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 12.7 ft | 13 s | NW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 12.6 ft | 13 s | NW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (40.250°N, 124.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Eel River - 17NM WSW of Eureka, CA13.5 ft · 16 sLive · 50 km
- Humboldt Bay, North Spit, CA11.5 ft · 13 sLive · 75 km
- Pt Arena - 19NM North of Point Arena, CA14.1 ft · 15 sLive · 135 km
- St Georges - 8 NM NW of Crescent City, CA11.2 ft · 14 sLive · 175 km
- Bodega Bay - 48NM NW of San Francisco, CA12.1 ft · 15 sLive · 260 km
- Port Orford - 15 NM West of Port Orford, OR16.7 ftLive · 274 km
Nearest tide station: Cockrobin Island Bridge, Eel River 55 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 64°F (17.5°C)
- Air temperature
- 61°F (16.1°C)
Reported Nov 7, 6:30 PM GMT-8.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the NW.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 16.2 ft at 15 s on Nov 7.
- Station id
- 46213
- CDIP id
- 094
- Operator
- SCRIPPS
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 40.291°N, 124.748°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-8 (open ocean)
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by SCRIPPS. 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.
