FGBNMS Sofar Spotter
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
3.9 ft
1.2 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- no direction
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Waves: 3.9 ft.
Significant wave height is the average of the biggest third of waves at the buoy. It is not surf height at a beach.
Model vs the buoy
- Buoy, hourly
- Model, past days
- Model forecast
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3.2 ft | 4.7 s | N |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 6.6 ft | 6.3 s | E |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 9.8 ft | 7.1 s | SE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 10.3 ft | 8.1 s | E |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 10.7 ft | 8.1 s | E |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 8.6 ft | 8.6 s | E |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 7.2 ft | 8.4 s | E |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (27.750°N, 93.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Galveston,TX - 22 NM East of Galveston, TX0.7 ftLive · 162 km
- West Gulf - 207 NM East of Brownsville, TX3.6 ft · 5 sLive · 214 km
- UTMSI_BUOY_1 - Environmental List 1415.02 (SPOT-33114C)2.3 ftStale · 264 km
Other readings
- Wind
- 16 kt
Reported Oct 24, 9:00 AM GMT-6.
How to read this buoy
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 3.9 ft on Oct 24.
- Station id
- 42358
- Operator
- Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 27.874°N, 93.815°W
- Type
- other
- Local time zone
- GMT-6 (open ocean)
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. 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.
