Station List

What happens to wave height during a hurricane?

NDBC Time Series Plot

This figure shows a plot of the significant wave height measured at Station 51002 off the coast of Hawaii during Hurricane Lane in August 2018. Significant wave height is defined as the average of the highest one-third of the waves. So, this plot shows the average of the highest one-third of the wave heights for each hour. As you can see, this hurricane caused significant wave heights in excess of 9 meters (30 feet)! Before the passage of the hurricane, significant wave height was only 2 meters (about 6 feet). As the storm came closer to Station 51002, the significant wave height began to increase. At the pinnacle of the storm, the height increased dramatically to 9 meters. After the storm passed, wave height decreased to a level of 2.5 meters (8 feet).

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