Reported Nov 13, 1:26 AM PSTBuoy 46244

Humboldt Bay, North Spit, CA

Name: Humboldt Bay, North Spit, CA buoy 46244 wave observations
Creator: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by SCRIPPS
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

California, United States

Last wave reading: Nov 13, 1:26 AM PST

Now at the buoy

Significant wave height at the buoy

11.5 ft

3.5 m

Dominant period: 13 s
Direction: from W 270°

Swell

7.5 ft2.3 m

13 sfrom W 270°

Wind waves

8.5 ft2.6 m

9.1 sfrom WSW 248°

Wind waves lead: 8.5 ft at 9.1 s from the WSW, over 7.5 ft of long-period groundswell at 13 s from the W. Fading over the last 6 hours, down 2.1 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 ran 11% low against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
Day	Height	Peak period	From
Fri, Nov 13	25.9 ft	18 s	W
Sat, Nov 14	26.9 ft	18 s	WNW
Sun, Nov 15	18.2 ft	16 s	W
Mon, Nov 16	17.1 ft	15 s	WNW
Tue, Nov 17	13.2 ft	14 s	WNW
Wed, Nov 18	11.4 ft	13 s	WNW
Thu, Nov 19	11.2 ft	13 s	NW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (41.000°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

Samoa Dunes Surf Area18 km
Quiver forecast now: 9-10ft
Clam Beach23 km
Quiver forecast now: 9-10ft

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

Nearby buoys

Eel River - 17NM WSW of Eureka, CA14.1 ft · 15 sLive · 25 km
Cape Mendocino, CA9.2 ft · 13 sStale · 75 km
St Georges - 8 NM NW of Crescent City, CA11.2 ft · 12 sLive · 105 km
Pt Arena - 19NM North of Point Arena, CA12.8 ft · 15 sLive · 189 km
Port Orford - 15 NM West of Port Orford, OR18.4 ft · 9 sLive · 210 km

Nearest tide station: Samoa 17 km for today’s highs and lows.

How to read this buoy

Humboldt Bay, North Spit, CA sits 18 km from the closest beach listed here: near enough to show what is arriving, far enough that islands, points and the seabed still change it before it breaks.

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

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 19.0 ft at 16 s on Nov 8.

Station id: 46244
CDIP id: 168
Operator: SCRIPPS
Program: IOOS Partners
Position: 40.896°N, 124.358°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.