Hurricane Earl Flirts With The East Coast

Hurricane Earl is now a category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 110 knots. The storm is forecast to continue North, but expected to remain just offshore of the Eastern seaboard. Immediate effects of the storm are being observed on the Southwestern Atlantic buoy (@buoy41043), with primary swell wave heights of 24.6 feet being reported as of 3 p.m. Eastern time.

The Cape Canaveral model (@buoy41010) shows a sharp increase in surf on Wednesday, with wave heights predicted to peak mid-day on Thursday (18.4 feet at 14.1 seconds 86°).

Looking further up the coast, surf on the Masonboro Inlet buoy (@buoy41110) is forecast to rise sharply from the Southeast on Thursday afternoon, peaking overnight (9.5 feet at 15.4 seconds 117°) then rapidly declining on Friday.

And a bit further North in New Jersey, wave heights on Buoy 44009 (26 NM Southeast of Cape May, NJ) are modeled to steadily increase Wednesday through Friday, providing some very contestable surf for the USBA Jenks Pro, which runs September 1st - 7th.

Hurricane Danielle & Tropical Depression 7

The outlook for the East Coast this weekend includes long-period energy courtesy of Hurricane Danielle, which currently has maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. The hurricane is projected to swing North over the weekend and not expected to make landfall.

Effects of Hurricane Danielle are visible in the East Coast buoy models, with 13-14 second swells modeled to hit up and down the coast over the weekend. The offshore Cape Canaveral buoy (@buoy41010) shows an East swell building Saturday through Sunday (6.2 feet at 14.1 seconds 98°), with the swell period peaking late Sunday.

The effects of Danielle’s shift in direction and projected Northerly track are evident in the model which shows an increase in swell height (10.2 feet), but a subsequent loss of swell organization (11.1 seconds), with the swell direction shifting a total of 38° over three days, from Saturday (ESE, 101°) through Monday (ENE, 68°).

Looking a bit further into the Cape Canaveral model, there are already signs of another long-period ESE swell building next week Tuesday-Wednesday as a result of Tropical Depression 7.

Up the coast, similar conditions exist on both the Masonboro Inlet model:

As well as Montauk Point, whose location and distance from Danielle allows for a longer fetch than Florida, resulting in longer swell periods, much less directional shift (only 4°, from 135° to 131°), and a more organized swell overall:

Keep an eye on these models as the week progresses and Tropical Depression 7 potentially becomes Hurricane Earl, producing another Atlantic swell next week.

Improved Real-Time Wave and Wind Observations via Twitter

Improving ocean enthusiasts’ accessibility to real-time buoy data is a primary objective for us. Buoy Alarm was the first to deliver real-time observations via Twitter, and we currently maintain a network that provides updates for over 120 buoys, totaling over 3,000 tweets per day.

Today, we’re proud to announce the addition of meteorological data to our network’s Twitter feeds. Although the observation capabilities of each buoy varies, as of today, all observed readings will be delivered via Twitter and prefaced with a (Met) label. This includes wind speed, wind direction, water temperature, air temperature, and pressure data.

We’ve also improved our wave reports to deliver detailed wave data via Twitter, including significant wave height, primary swell, and wind wave data. Each of these reports provides height, period, and direction when available, and is prefaced by a (Wave) label.

Keep in mind this is real-time, observed data, not a computer model. The reported data reflects actual ocean conditions at the report time, and are delivered via Twitter as soon as they become available.

Our data labels are based on the NDBC measurement system, and a quick rundown of each is available below:

  • WSPD: Average Wind Speed (Knots)
  • GST: Wind Gust (Knots)
  • WDIR: Wind Direction (the direction the wind is coming from in degrees clockwise from true North)
  • ATMP: Air Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit)
  • WTMP: Water Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit)
  • DEWP: Dew Point (Degrees Fahrenheit)
  • PRES: Atmospheric Pressure (Hectopascals)
  • PTDY: Pressure Tendency (Hectopascals)
  • SWELL: Primary Swell Height (Feet), Period (Seconds), and Direction (the direction the waves are coming from in degrees clockwise from true North)
  • WIND WAVE: Wind Wave Height (Feet), Period (Seconds), and Direction (the direction the wind waves are coming from in degrees clockwise from true North)
  • WVHT: Significant Wave Height
  • APD: Average Wave Period
  • MWD: Dominant Period Wave Direction (the direction the waves at the dominant period are coming from in degrees clockwise from true North)

A Twitter account is required to take advantage of these free reports. Once you’ve registered with Twitter, simply follow the buoy you’re interested in and you’ll automatically receive report data as it’s published.

A few of our recommendations include Waimea Bay, HI (@buoy51201), Half Moon Bay, CA (@buoy46012), Dana Point, CA (@buoy46223), Cape Canaveral, FL (@buoy41010), and Buoy Alarm (@buoyalarm) of course!

For an overview of all available buoys, visit the Buoy Alarm regional map.

California Surf Forecast - August 23, 2010

The buoy model forecast for the upcoming week shows a healthy long-period South swell arriving Tuesday, and a large, short-period Northwest swell Friday into Saturday.

The Point Loma South buoy model shows a fresh South swell filling in on Tuesday, and peaking Wednesday morning (5.2 feet at 16.5 seconds 190°). Forerunners in the 20-second period range are forecast to arrive today, with the waves slowly declining through Friday.

A slight Southerly reinforcement is arrives late Saturday into Sunday, mixed with a short-period WNW component (4.9 feet at 8.3 seconds 283°).

Looking North, the South swell is forecast to fill on the Half Moon Bay buoy through Tuesday, and peak Wednesday afternoon (5.2 feet at 16.5 seconds 188°). The swell slowly declines through Friday, however a large, short-period Northwest swell builds quickly on Thursday.

This Northwest swell bumps up again Friday night (12.1 feet at 8.7 seconds 311°), then declines through the weekend. Given the size and short-period nature of this swell, look for sloppy, disorganized conditions to prevail once it arrives.