Ontonagon, MI
Michigan, 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
0.3 ft
0.1 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- from ENE 58°
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Close to flat at the buoy: 0.3 ft of total wave height.
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)
Period
- Dominant 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
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 4.3 ft | 5.5 s | NNE |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 2.2 ft | 5.2 s | NNE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 1.4 ft | 2.8 s | SW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 2.6 ft | 4.7 s | WSW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 3.0 ft | 5.1 s | W |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 1.8 ft | 3.7 s | SW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 1.2 ft | 2.4 s | SSW |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (47.000°N, 89.250°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- West Superior - 30NM NE of Outer Island, WI3.9 ft · 6 sLive · 58 km
- North Entry Buoy, North Keweenaw Peninsula, MI0.7 ftStale · 69 km
- South Entry Buoy, South Keweenaw Peninsula, MI0.3 ftStale · 73 km
- Mid Superior - 60 NM North Northeast Hancock, MI5.2 ft · 6 sLive · 174 km
- Western Lake SuperiorOffline · 188 km
- McQuade Harbor Nearshore, MNOffline · 196 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 47°F (8.5°C)
- Wind
- 2 kt from the SSE, gusts 17 kt
- Air temperature
- 50°F (10.1°C)
- Pressure
- 1016.1 hPa
Reported Oct 15, 2:40 PM EDT.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SW and S.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 2.4 ft on Oct 14.
- Station id
- 45216
- Operator
- Michigan Technological University
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 46.907°N, 89.354°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- America/Detroit
- Swell split
- Yes, swell and wind waves reported
Source: NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC); station operated by Michigan Technological University. 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.
