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Lowestoft wave buoy daily means for May 2017

Daily means from the Lowestoft wave buoy for May 2017, 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

1,488 wave-buoy observations covered all 31 days. Typical wave height was 1.8 ft (10th–90th percentile 0.8–4.2 ft), while mean average of more than one wave period type was 4.9 seconds (10th–90th percentile 3.3–6.7 seconds). Mean water temperature was 11.8°C (10th–90th percentile 10.3–14°C). All 5,948 checked values passed quality control. Across 1 comparable year, mean wave height was below the same-month mean of 2.3 ft and mean wave period was below the same-month mean of 5.3 seconds.

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

Typical Significant Wave Height

1.8ft
Mean: 2.2 ft
P10–P90: 0.8 — 4.2 ft
Recorded extremes

0.5 — 7.5 ft

Mean Observed Wave Period

4.9secs
P10–P90: 3.3 — 6.7secs
Recorded extremes

1.7 — 8.3secs

Observed Wave Direction

E

Circular concentration: 66%

Mean Water Temperature

11.8°C
P10–P90: 10.3 — 14°C
Recorded extremes

9.8 — 15°C

Available for 743 of 744 hourly samples

Compared With Previous Mays

Historical baseline from 1,488 observations across 1 year.

Wave Height
2.2ft
0.1ft below mean
Historical mean 2.297ft
Wave Period
4.9s
0.4s below mean
Historical mean 5.3s
Water Temperature
11.8°C
0.7°C above mean
Historical mean 11.1°C

Chart showing grouped wave observations for Lowestoft. 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 Lowestoft wave buoy

Lowestoft is a Channel Coastal Observatory wave station off the Suffolk coast at Britain's most easterly town. Its North Sea observations provide local context for the harbour approaches, developed seafront and low-lying coastline around Lowestoft and northern Suffolk.

Its current data source reports wave height, wave period, wave direction, directional spread, wave power and sea temperature.

Metrics are rows; days run left to right.
Lowestoft wave buoy daily means May 2017Last observation shown
Metric
Mean significant wave height (ft)5356533432222222113221111121221
Mean maximum wave height (ft)-------------------------------
Mean peak period (s)6677665676465444446543345344455
Mean zero-crossing period (s)5455444444343333334433334333344
Mean energy period (s)-------------------------------
Mean wave power, kilowatts per metre-------------------------------
Mean peak wave directionEconcentration 85%ENEconcentration 91%NEconcentration 100%NEconcentration 100%NEconcentration 99%ENEconcentration 98%NEconcentration 96%NNEconcentration 97%NEconcentration 99%ENEconcentration 96%Econcentration 91%ENEconcentration 81%SEconcentration 77%SSEconcentration 92%SSEconcentration 97%Sconcentration 97%ESEconcentration 58%NEconcentration 93%NEconcentration 96%SSEconcentration 68%SSEconcentration 95%ESEconcentration 94%Econcentration 45%ESEconcentration 82%Econcentration 87%Econcentration 96%ESEconcentration 71%ESEconcentration 81%Econcentration 94%ESEconcentration 81%ESEconcentration 79%
Mean directional spread (°)34.333.322.521.125.830.029.828.433.437.637.128.131.633.330.227.642.140.730.434.428.941.345.549.049.840.337.744.240.241.445.8
Mean water temperature(°C)10.210.310.210.210.210.310.410.410.410.510.711.011.211.411.511.711.912.112.112.112.312.512.712.913.113.413.714.014.114.314.4

Swipe sideways to see more days.

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.

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 Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme.

Learn how SurfHog combines, checks and summarizes observations in the data and methodology notes.

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