Mid Gulf - 180 nm South of Southwest Pass, LA
Louisiana, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
2.3 ft
0.7 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from N 354°
Swell
0.3 ft0.1 m
11 sfrom NW 315°
Wind waves
2.3 ft0.7 m
5 sfrom N 0°
Wind waves lead: 2.3 ft at 5 s from the N, over 0.3 ft of mid-period swell at 11 s from the NW. 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 ran 22% high against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3.9 ft | 4.9 s | N |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 4.3 ft | 5.5 s | NE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 4.9 ft | 5.5 s | E |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 7.7 ft | 6.5 s | E |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 7.9 ft | 8.6 s | E |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 7.7 ft | 8.2 s | E |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 6.9 ft | 8.2 s | E |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (26.000°N, 89.750°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Southwest Pass Entrance W, LA3.3 ft · 6 sStale · 341 km
- West Gulf - 207 NM East of Brownsville, TX3.6 ft · 5 sLive · 414 km
- Chandeleur Island SE, LA2.6 ft · 5 sLive · 418 km
- FGBNMS Sofar Spotter3.9 ftStale · 468 km
- Pensacola - 115NM SSE of Pensacola, FL3.9 ftLive · 477 km
- DISL Sofar Spotter2.3 ft · 3 sLive · 484 km
Other readings
- Wind
- 12 kt from the NNW, gusts 16 kt
- Air temperature
- 77°F (24.9°C)
- Pressure
- 1012.1 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 1:10 AM GMT-6.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the E and NE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 12.1 ft at 8.5 s on Oct 17.
- Station id
- 42001
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 25.922°N, 89.638°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- GMT-6 (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.
