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Pevensey Bay wave buoy monthly means for 2020

Monthly means from the Pevensey Bay wave buoy for 2020, 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

17,542 wave-buoy observations covered all 366 days. Typical wave height was 2.3 ft (10th–90th percentile 0.8–5.5 ft), while mean average of more than one wave period type was 5.6 seconds (10th–90th percentile 3.1–8.7 seconds). Typical wind was 0 mph and mean water temperature was 13.2°C (10th–90th percentile 8.6–18.6°C). 105 of 71,586 checked values (0.1%) were excluded by quality control.

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

Typical Significant Wave Height

2.3ft
Mean: 2.8 ft
P10–P90: 0.8 — 5.5 ft
Recorded extremes

0.3 — 14.1 ft

Available for 8,778 of 8,780 hourly samples

Mean Observed Wave Period

5.6secs
P10–P90: 3.1 — 8.7secs
Recorded extremes

1.7 — 25secs

Available for 8,760 of 8,780 hourly samples

Observed Wave Direction

SSW

Circular concentration: 60%

Mean Water Temperature

13.2°C
P10–P90: 8.6 — 18.6°C
Recorded extremes

7 — 21.8°C

Available for 8,778 of 8,780 hourly samples

Chart showing grouped wave observations for Pevensey Bay. 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 Pevensey Bay wave buoy

Pevensey Bay is a National Network Datawell Directional WaveRider off East Sussex. First deployed in June 2003, it provides a long record for the low-lying shoreline between Eastbourne and Bexhill, where the maintained shingle beach is a principal defence against coastal flooding.

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.
Pevensey Bay wave buoy monthly means 2020Last observation shown
Metric
Mean significant wave height (ft)3QC rejected3222222434
Mean maximum wave height (ft)585333333656
Mean peak period (s)776565555666
Mean zero-crossing period (s)454333333444
Mean energy period (s)------------
Mean reported period (s)776565555034
Mean wave power, kilowatts per metre------------
Mean peak wave directionSSWconcentration 83%SSWconcentration 94%Sconcentration 48%SEconcentration 52%SSEconcentration 40%Sconcentration 52%SSWconcentration 77%SSWconcentration 62%Sconcentration 48%SSWconcentration 73%SSWconcentration 73%SSWconcentration 76%
Mean directional spread (°)21.618.019.825.522.226.824.025.525.022.421.823.0
Mean reported wave directionSSWconcentration 84%SSWconcentration 94%Sconcentration 48%SEconcentration 50%SSEconcentration 39%Sconcentration 50%SSWconcentration 76%SSWconcentration 60%SSWconcentration 78%SWconcentration 99%SSWconcentration 73%SSWconcentration 76%
Mean water temperature(°C)9.08.48.610.112.615.918.019.718.014.812.710.2

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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