Western Prince William Sound
United States
Last wave reading:
Now at the buoy
Significant wave height at the buoy
0.0 ft
0.0 m
- Dominant period
- —
- Direction
- no direction
This reading came without the swell and wind-wave split, so the numbers are for the whole sea.
Close to flat at the buoy: 0.0 ft of total wave height. 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 16% high against the buoy.
| Day | Height | Peak period | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 13 | 0.9 ft | 2.2 s | W |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 2.3 ft | 3.4 s | W |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 1.7 ft | 3 s | W |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 1.6 ft | 3 s | ENE |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 2.0 ft | 3.6 s | E |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 2.1 ft | 3.5 s | ENE |
| Thu, Nov 19 | 2.2 ft | 3.6 s | NNE |
ECMWF WAM wave model via Open-Meteo, nearest model cell (60.750°N, 148.250°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 Orca Bay - 8NM NW of Hinchinbrook Is., AK1.6 ft · 8 sLive · 85 km
- Seal Rocks - Between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands, AK4.6 ft · 9 sLive · 101 km
- Cape Cleare - 17 NM South of Montague Is, AK4.6 ftLive · 145 km
- Cape Suckling - 35 NM SE of Kayak Is, AK32.2 ft · 13 sStale · 179 km
- Lower Cook Inlet1.0 ft · 4 sLive · 237 km
Nearest tide station: Culross Bay, Wells Passage 9 km for today’s highs and lows.
Other readings
- Water temperature
- 44°F (6.7°C)
- Wind
- 4 kt from the NW, gusts 6 kt
- Air temperature
- 36°F (2.2°C)
- Pressure
- 998.8 hPa
Reported Nov 13, 1:10 AM AKST.
How to read this buoy
Over the readings shown here, most wave energy reached this buoy from the SE and E.
Biggest hourly reading in that record: 5.4 ft at 5 s on Nov 10.
- Station id
- 46081
- Operator
- NDBC
- Program
- NDBC Meteorological/Ocean
- Position
- 60.802°N, 148.283°W
- Type
- Moored buoy
- Local time zone
- America/Anchorage
- 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.
