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K5 wave buoy daily means for Aug 2012

Daily means from the K5 wave buoy for Aug 2012, including available wave height, period, direction, wind and sea temperature data.

Last observation shown

Data available:  to 

Monthly means for

Latest

Period Summary

Programmatically generated summary. Hog Says

740 wave-buoy observations covered all 31 days. Typical wave height was 5.9 ft (10th–90th percentile 3.3–11.2 ft), while mean reported wave period; measurement type unavailable was 5.9 seconds (10th–90th percentile 5–7 seconds). Typical wind was 13.8 mph (10th–90th percentile 5.8–24.2 mph) and mean water temperature was 13.1°C (10th–90th percentile 12.2–14°C). 1 of 3,700 checked values (0%) were excluded by quality control. Across 2 comparable years, mean wave height was above the same-month mean of 6.5 ft and mean wave period was above the same-month mean of 5.8 seconds.

Generated only from the observations and comparisons shown on this page.

Typical Wave Height

5.9ft
Mean: 6.7 ft
P10–P90: 3.3 — 11.2 ft
Recorded extremes

2 — 21.7 ft

Available for 739 of 740 hourly samples

Mean Wave Period

5.9secs
P10–P90: 5 — 7secs
Recorded extremes

4 — 9secs

Mean Water Temperature

13.1°C
P10–P90: 12.2 — 14°C
Recorded extremes

12.1 — 14.5°C

Typical Wind

ESE, 13.8mph
Mean: 14.3 mph
P10–P90: 5.8 — 24.2 mph
Recorded extremes

2.3 — 35.7 mph

Circular concentration: 31%

Compared With Previous Augusts

Historical baseline from 1,458 observations across 2 years.

Wave Height
6.7ft
0.2ft above mean
Historical mean 6.5ft
Wave Period
5.9s
0.1s above mean
Historical mean 5.8s
Water Temperature
13.1°C
In line with the historical mean
Historical mean 13.1°C

Chart showing grouped wave observations for K5. Use the table on this page for a text version of the same measurements. To open hourly observations, use a linked day name in the table.

About K5 wave buoy

K5 (WMO 64045) is a UK Met Office buoy in the far North Atlantic west of Scotland. It provides observations from a sparsely monitored ocean area upstream of the Hebrides and northern UK waters. The international feed includes marine weather and sea-temperature observations, with wave and wind parameters present only when the relevant sensors are reporting.

Metrics are rows; days run left to right.
K5 wave buoy daily means Aug 2012Last observation shown
Metric
Mean wave height (ft)1188433244555686QC rejected7668645456151411811
Mean observed period(s)6Reported6Reported6Reported5Reported5Reported5Reported5Reported6Reported5Reported6Reported5Reported5Reported5Reported6Reported5Reported6Reported6Reported6Reported6Reported6Reported6Reported6Reported6Reported5Reported5Reported6Reported7Reported7Reported8Reported8Reported7Reported
Mean wave power(kW/m)-------------------------------
Mean wind directionEconcentration 99%Econcentration 80%NEconcentration 99%NNEconcentration 95%NEconcentration 78%NEconcentration 87%Nconcentration 44%WSWconcentration 95%SWconcentration 93%SSWconcentration 83%SEconcentration 97%ESEconcentration 98%Econcentration 98%SEconcentration 95%Econcentration 88%ESEconcentration 96%ENEconcentration 94%WSWconcentration 34%SSEconcentration 97%SSEconcentration 92%Sconcentration 97%Sconcentration 82%Nconcentration 71%NNEconcentration 98%NEconcentration 94%SEconcentration 93%SEconcentration 85%Wconcentration 72%Nconcentration 91%WNWconcentration 44%SSWconcentration 94%
Mean wind speed (mph)271120146651013101415171617201391417117101412152924151123
Mean water temperature(°C)12.212.412.312.212.312.512.612.712.612.812.913.013.013.013.213.113.213.513.613.613.714.114.213.914.013.913.513.213.213.213.0

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Wave metric colour key

Colours move through the scale as each number increases. They do not by themselves mean that conditions are good, safe or suitable for you.

Wave & swell height0–40+ ft
Wave & swell period0–22+ s
Wind speed0–75 mph

The displayed numbers remain the source of truth; colour is an additional visual cue.

Which wave period is shown?

The table shows the best period measurement supplied for each observation. It is not necessarily the energy period used to calculate wave power.

Tp
Peak period: the period at the strongest spectral peak.
Tavg
The provider's average wave period.
Tm02
A mean period calculated from the wave spectrum.
Tz
Mean zero-crossing period.
Reported
A legacy value whose period type was not recorded.
Mixed
A daily or monthly mean containing more than one period type.

Wave power needs a genuine energy period (Te). SurfHog does not substitute Tp, Tavg, Tm02 or Tz when Te is missing.

What does buoy wave power mean?

kW/m means kilowatts of wave power per metre of wave crest. It describes the rate at which the observed sea state carries energy past the buoy.

Unlike the shore-directed forecast value, buoy wave power is the total power at the observation point. It is not projected towards a particular beach and does not predict breaking wave height.

In deep water, wave power can be calculated with:

P is approximately 0.49 times significant wave height squared times wave energy period.

P is power in kW/m, Hs is significant wave height in metres, and Te is wave energy period in seconds.

  • Provider-reported power is used when available.
  • Otherwise, a value is calculated only when both significant height and a genuine energy period are available. The ≈ symbol marks calculated values.
  • A dash is shown instead of substituting peak, Tm02, zero-crossing or other period measurements.
  • Daily and monthly figures use the mean of hourly-normalized observation power values; they are not calculated from mean height and period.

Wave direction, spectrum, water depth and local bathymetry still matter. Wave power is best read alongside height, period and direction rather than as a standalone surf-quality score.

The observation data displayed on this page is from the UK Met Office.

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