StaleBuoy 46278

Tillamook Bay South Jetty, OR

Oregon, 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

13.1 ft

4.0 m

Dominant period
13 s
Direction
from W 276°

Swell

11.2 ft3.4 m

13 sfrom W 270°

Wind waves

6.9 ft2.1 m

9.5 sfrom W 270°

Mid-period swell leads: 11.2 ft at 13 s from the W, with 6.9 ft of wind waves at 9.5 s from the W on top.

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

2 ft4 ft6 ft8 ft10 ft12 ft14 ft16 ft18 ft20 ft22 ft24 ft7 Sat8 Sun9 Mon10 Tue11 Wed
  • Total (significant height)
  • Swell
  • Wind waves

Period

5 s10 s15 s20 s7 Sat8 Sun9 Mon10 Tue11 Wed
  • Swell period
  • Wind-wave period
dir

Hourly means of the buoy's readings. Arrows point the way the waves travel.

Model vs the buoy

2 ft4 ft6 ft8 ft10 ft12 ft14 ft16 ft18 ft20 ft22 ft24 ftforecast
  • Buoy, hourly
  • Model, past days
  • Model forecast

Over the last 4 days, the model ran 16% low against the buoy.

Model peak each day at the buoy
DayHeightPeak periodFrom
Fri, Nov 1321.4 ft18 sW
Sat, Nov 1421.3 ft18 sW
Sun, Nov 1517.2 ft16 sW
Mon, Nov 1615.9 ft16 sW
Tue, Nov 1711.4 ft14 sWNW
Wed, Nov 1811.9 ft12 sWNW
Thu, Nov 1910.1 ft13 sWNW

ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (45.500°N, 124.000°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

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

Nearby buoys

Nearest tide station: North Jetty, Tillamook Bay 2 km for today’s highs and lows.

Other readings

Water temperature
55°F (12.7°C)
Air temperature
58°F (14.4°C)

Reported Nov 11, 9:00 PM PST.

How to read this buoy

Tillamook Bay South Jetty, OR sits close to shore, 7.0 km from the closest beach listed here. Its readings already include some of the local shadowing, so they track nearby beaches more closely than an offshore buoy.

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

Biggest hourly reading in that record: 22.1 ft at 17 s on Nov 8.

Station id
46278
CDIP id
270
Operator
SCRIPPS
Program
IOOS Partners
Position
45.559°N, 123.991°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.