Oswego, NY
New York, United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
3.9 ft
1.2 m
- Dominant period
- 5 s
- Direction
- from NNE 13°
Swell
0.3 ft0.1 m
25 sfrom NNE 23°
Wind waves
3.9 ft1.2 m
5 sfrom NNE 23°
Wind waves lead: 3.9 ft at 5 s from the NNE, over 0.3 ft of long-period groundswell at 25 s from the NNE. Fading over the last 6 hours, down 1.3 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 20% low against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3.7 ft | 5.1 s | N |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 4.9 ft | 5.5 s | NW |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 4.9 ft | 5.5 s | NW |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 3.1 ft | 4.8 s | WNW |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 2.8 ft | 5 s | W |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 3.0 ft | 5.2 s | WNW |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 1.4 ft | 4 s | W |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (43.500°N, 76.500°W). Both lines are significant wave height at sea, the same measure the buoy reports. Model output, not a Quiver beach forecast.
Nearby buoys
- Prince Edward Pt0.3 ft · 6 sStale · 41 km
- East Lake America - 20NM North Northeast of Rochester, NY3.6 ftLive · 71 km
- NW Lake Ontario Ajax0.3 ft · 5 sStale · 199 km
- Port Colborne2.6 ft · 3 sStale · 239 km
- West Lake Ontario - Grimsby3.3 ft · 5 sStale · 243 km
- Dunkirk Buoy0.7 ftStale · 257 km
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 55°F (12.7°C)
Reported Nov 13, 3:56 AM EST.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the W and NW.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 8.9 ft at 8 s on Nov 9.
- Station id
- 45215
- CDIP id
- 274
- Operator
- SCRIPPS
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 43.501°N, 76.539°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- America/New_York
- 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.
