Reported Nov 13, 12:26 AM PSTBuoy 46211

Grays Harbor, WA

Name: Grays Harbor, WA buoy 46211 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by SCRIPPS
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

Washington, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 12, 11:56 PM PST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

13.1 ft

4.0 m

Dominant period: 13 s
Direction: from W 263°

Swell

8.2 ft2.5 m

13 sfrom W 270°

Wind waves

10.2 ft3.1 m

7.7 sfrom SSW 203°

Wind waves lead: 10.2 ft at 7.7 s from the SSW, over 8.2 ft of mid-period swell at 13 s from the W. Building over the last 6 hours, up 1.7 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%.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	23.6 ft	19 s	WSW
Sat, Nov 14	23.0 ft	19 s	WSW
Sun, Nov 15	20.8 ft	16 s	WSW
Mon, Nov 16	17.8 ft	16 s	W
Tue, Nov 17	12.2 ft	14 s	W
Wed, Nov 18	13.3 ft	12 s	SW
Thu, Nov 19	11.2 ft	13 s	WNW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (46.750°N, 124.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.

Beaches whose Quiver forecast uses this buoy

Westport – The Jetty9.7 km
Quiver forecast now: 9-10ft
Westport – Half Moon Bay (The Cove)11 km
Quiver forecast now: 7-8ft
Westport Beach11 km
Quiver forecast now: 9-10ft
Westport (Marina/Groins/Jetty)11 km
Quiver forecast now: 9-10ft
Westport – The Groins12 km
Quiver forecast now: 8-9ft
Ocean Shores / North Beaches14 km
Quiver forecast now: 8-9ft
Ocean Shores15 km
Quiver forecast now: 8-9ft

Beach numbers are each beach's own Quiver forecast, not a conversion of this buoy reading.

Nearby buoys

OOI Westport Shelf13.1 ftLive · 29 km
Cape Elizabeth - 45NM NW of Aberdeen, WA12.8 ft · 8 sLive · 67 km
Backyard Buoys - Quinault NorthOffline · 67 km
Clatsop Spit, OR12.8 ft · 14 sLive · 72 km
Columbia River Bar - 20NM West of Columbia River Mouth14.4 ft · 11 sLive · 81 km
Astoria Canyon, OR17.1 ft · 12 sLive · 86 km

Nearest tide station: Westport, Point Chehalis 12 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Grays Harbor, WA sits close to shore, 9.7 km from the closest beach listed here. Its readings already include some of the local shadowing, so they track nearby beaches more closely than an offshore buoy.

Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the W.

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 22.8 ft at 16 s on Nov 8.

Station id: 46211
CDIP id: 036
Operator: SCRIPPS
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 46.857°N, 124.243°W
Type: Moored buoy
Local time zone: America/Los_Angeles
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.