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Lowestoft wave buoy monthly means for 2018

Monthly means from the Lowestoft wave buoy for 2018, including available wave height, period, direction, wind and sea temperature data.

Last observation shown

Data available:  to 

Latest

Period Summary

Programmatically generated summary. Hog Says

16,988 wave-buoy observations covered all 365 days. Typical wave height was 2.2 ft (10th–90th percentile 1–5.3 ft), while mean average of more than one wave period type was 5.5 seconds (10th–90th percentile 3.6–7.4 seconds). Mean water temperature was 11.3°C (10th–90th percentile 4.6–19°C). 20 of 67,430 checked values (0%) were excluded by quality control.

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

Typical Significant Wave Height

2.2ft
Mean: 2.8 ft
P10–P90: 1 — 5.3 ft
Recorded extremes

0.4 — 15.3 ft

Available for 8,703 of 8,704 hourly samples

Mean Observed Wave Period

5.5secs
P10–P90: 3.6 — 7.4secs
Recorded extremes

1.7 — 25secs

Available for 8,696 of 8,704 hourly samples

Observed Wave Direction

E

Circular concentration: 56%

Mean Water Temperature

11.3°C
P10–P90: 4.6 — 19°C
Recorded extremes

3.2 — 21°C

Chart showing grouped wave observations for Lowestoft. Use the table on this page for a text version of the same measurements. To open daily observations, use a linked month 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; months run left to right.
Lowestoft wave buoy monthly means 2018Last observation shown
Metric
Mean significant wave height (ft)344222222343
Mean maximum wave height (ft)------------
Mean peak period (s)667555555666
Mean zero-crossing period (s)445444434444
Mean energy period (s)------------
Mean wave power, kilowatts per metre------------
Mean peak wave directionSEconcentration 61%Econcentration 67%Econcentration 70%Econcentration 58%ENEconcentration 70%ENEconcentration 62%Econcentration 62%SEconcentration 57%ESEconcentration 52%Econcentration 55%SEconcentration 66%SEconcentration 57%
Mean directional spread (°)32.630.730.933.437.937.038.038.334.634.928.334.5
Mean water temperature(°C)5.54.74.06.910.814.818.419.717.414.010.58.2

Swipe sideways to see more months.

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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