East Coast Wave Forecast
WARNING: These coastal wave forecasts are experimental and should NOT be relied upon as a primary source of wave forecast information. Significant errors in predicting coastal wave heights and the timing of storm events are known to occur.
Wind and Wave Forecast - 48 hour wind and wave forecasts for GoMOOS Buoys in the Gulf of Maine
About this forecast map
- The maps depict forecast surface wave conditions for the East coast of the United States 48 hours in the future
- Colors represent "significant wave height," the most probable height (in meters) of the largest wind-driven waves
- Arrows show the direction that the largest wind-driven waves travel
- Arrow length represent wave period - defined as time (in seconds) between successive wave crests - shorter arrows correspond to choppy seas and longer arrows indicate swells
- Forecast maps are updated twice daily
- The 10 digit time stamp at the end of the map caption indicates the year, month, day, and hour of the map in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
A model within a model
Scientists at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography are working with GoMOOS to implement a regional wave forecast model, "Simulating Waves Nearshore" or SWAN, for the Gulf of Maine. To accurately predict Gulf of Maine wave conditions, however, computer models must account for forces in the greater North Atlantic Ocean. Thus the SWAN model is embedded within a larger forecast model, covering the eastern North American seaboard.
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