Southwest Pass Entrance W, LA
Louisiana, 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
3.3 ft
1.0 m
- Dominant period
- 6 s
- Direction
- from SE 140°
Swell
0.3 ft0.1 m
10 sfrom SSE 158°
Wind waves
3.3 ft1.0 m
6.1 sfrom SE 135°
Wind waves lead: 3.3 ft at 6.1 s from the SE, over 0.3 ft of mid-period swell at 10 s from the SSE.
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
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 2.7 ft | 3.8 s | NNE |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 2.8 ft | 3.9 s | NNE |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 3.6 ft | 4.7 s | ESE |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 7.0 ft | 5.5 s | ENE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 7.0 ft | 8.3 s | ESE |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 7.1 ft | 8.1 s | ESE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 6.3 ft | 7.4 s | ESE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (29.000°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
- Chandeleur Island SE, LA3.0 ft · 4 sLive · 117 km
- MS_State_SPOT_33441C - Gulfport Spotter - Mississippi Sound1.0 ft · 2 sLive · 162 km
- MS_State_SPOT_33439C - Biloxi Spotter - Mississippi Sound0.7 ftLive · 168 km
- DISL Sofar Spotter1.6 ft · 3 sLive · 185 km
- Orange Beach - 44 NM SE of Mobile, AL1.6 ft · 3 sLive · 236 km
Nearest tide station: Southwest Pass 22 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 76°F (24.6°C)
Reported Oct 30, 2:00 PM GMT-6.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the S and SE.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 6.6 ft at 5 s on Oct 17.
- Station id
- 42084
- CDIP id
- 256
- Operator
- SCRIPPS
- Program
- IOOS Partners
- Position
- 28.988°N, 89.649°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); 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.
