Fairweather Ground - 105 NM West of Juneau, AK
Alaska, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
7.9 ft
2.4 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from SSW 192°
Swell
6.6 ft2.0 m
9.1 sfrom SSW 203°
Wind waves
3.9 ft1.2 m
5.3 sfrom SE 135°
Short-period swell leads: 6.6 ft at 9.1 s from the SSW, with 3.9 ft of wind waves at 5.3 s from the SE 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 11.0 ft | 13 s | SSW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 11.5 ft | 9.4 s | SE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 14.7 ft | 10 s | SE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 16.5 ft | 12 s | SSW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 15.8 ft | 13 s | SSW |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 10.8 ft | 6.6 s | SE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 14.5 ft | 7.5 s | ESE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (58.250°N, 138.000°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Cape Edgecumbe - 25NM SSW of Cape Edgecumbe, AK7.9 ftLive · 220 km
- Central Gulf of Alaska - 265NM West of Cape Ommaney, AK12.5 ft · 12 sLive · 400 km
- North Nomad15.4 ft · 11 sLive · 487 km
- West Dixon Entrance8.9 ft · 9 sStale · 510 km
- Cape Suckling - 35 NM SE of Kayak Is, AK32.2 ft · 13 sStale · 514 km
- Seal Rocks - Between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands, AK4.6 ft · 9 sLive · 546 km
Nearest tide station: Lituya Bay, 2 miles inside entrance 44 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 49°F (9.5°C)
- Wind
- 16 kt from the N, gusts 19 kt
- Air temperature
- 47°F (8.2°C)
- Pressure
- 993.2 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 12:50 AM GMT-9.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the S and SW.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 28.7 ft at 15 s on Nov 9.
- Station id
- 46083
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 58.276°N, 138.024°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-9 (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.
