Frying Pan Shoals, NC
North Carolina, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
5.9 ft
1.8 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from WNW 299°
Swell
0.0 ft0.0 m
no periodno direction
Wind waves
5.9 ft1.8 m
4.8 sfrom WNW 293°
Wind waves lead: 5.9 ft at 4.8 s from the WNW, over 0.0 ft of swell. Fading over the last 6 hours, down 1.1 ft.
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 | 5.3 ft | 5.2 s | WNW |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 4.5 ft | 4.8 s | NW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 3.7 ft | 4.5 s | N |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 3.7 ft | 5.3 s | NE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 4.7 ft | 5.4 s | NE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 5.5 ft | 5.9 s | ENE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 5.6 ft | 6 s | ENE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (33.500°N, 77.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Wilmington Harbor, NC3.6 ft · 7 sLive · 39 km
- Masonboro Inlet, ILM2, NC2.0 ft · 7 sLive · 79 km
- Sunset Beach Nearshore Waves (SUN2WAVE)2.6 ft · 6 sStale · 80 km
- Onslow Bay Outer, NC6.6 ft · 5 sLive · 115 km
- Edisto - 41 NM Southeast of Charleston, SC4.3 ftLive · 162 km
- Capers Nearshore Waves (CAP2WAVE)2.0 ft · 6 sLive · 187 km
Nearest tide station: Cape Fear 50 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 71°F (21.5°C)
- Wind
- 17 kt from the WNW, gusts 23 kt
- Air temperature
- 62°F (16.4°C)
- Pressure
- 1005.0 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 3:40 AM GMT-5.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SE and E.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 11.2 ft at 11 s on Oct 25.
- Station id
- 41013
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 33.436°N, 77.764°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-5 (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.
