East Superior Spotter
United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
4.9 ft
1.5 m
- Dominant period
- 5 s
- Direction
- from N 353°
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Short-period wind chop: 4.9 ft at 5 s from the N. 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)
Period
- Dominant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 5.7 ft | 5.7 s | N |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 4.4 ft | 5.2 s | N |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 1.7 ft | 3.6 s | NNW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 3.9 ft | 4.6 s | SW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 4.1 ft | 5.1 s | WSW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 4.4 ft | 5 s | SSW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 4.1 ft | 5 s | SSW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (47.500°N, 86.500°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- East Superior -70 NM NE Marquette, MI4.9 ft · 6 sLive · 0.6 km
- Grand Island North, MI0.7 ftStale · 68 km
- Mid Superior - 60 NM North Northeast Hancock, MI3.9 ft · 6 sLive · 104 km
- Slate Island3.0 ft · 4 sStale · 109 km
- South Entry Buoy, South Keweenaw Peninsula, MI0.3 ftStale · 153 km
- North Entry Buoy, North Keweenaw Peninsula, MI0.7 ftStale · 156 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 44°F (6.9°C)
Reported Nov 13, 4:15 AM EST.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the N.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 11.8 ft at 10 s on Nov 5.
- Station id
- 45213
- Operator
- Michigan Technological University
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 47.588°N, 86.588°W
- Type
- other
- Local time zone
- America/Detroit
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Michigan Technological University. 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.
