Waves in Pierowall
Hourly wave forecast for 7 days · updated today, Wednesday, October 28, at 9:54 pm (GMT)- Sea state
- Rough · Douglas 5
- Period
- 10.6 s · WNW
- Swell
- 8.8 ft · 10 s
- Highest expected
- 19 ft
Today the sea at Pierowall is rough: 9.7 ft waves with a period of 10.6 s from the west-northwest. The swell, 8.8 ft at 10 s, comes from the west-northwest.
Wave height, next 7 days
Significant height: the average of the highest third of the waves, what an observer would estimate by eye. Swell: waves arriving from far away, longer.
The waves you may find today
- Most common4.9 ft
- Significant9.7 ft
- Highest expected19 ft
One wave in seven is higher than the significant height, and about 3 times a day one reaches 19 ft. Before heading out, expect waves of up to 19 ft.
The Douglas sea state scale
| Degree | Name | Wave height |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Calm (glassy) | 0 |
| 1 | Calm (rippled) | 0.0 ft–0.3 ft |
| 2 | Smooth | 0.3 ft–1.6 ft |
| 3 | Slight | 1.6 ft–4.1 ft |
| 4 | Moderate | 4.1 ft–8.2 ft |
| 5 | Rough · today | 8.2 ft–13.1 ft |
| 6 | Very rough · week peak | 13.1 ft–19.7 ft |
| 7 | High | 19.7 ft–29.5 ft |
| 8 | Very high | 29.5 ft–45.9 ft |
Waves day by day
| Day | Max wave | Sea state | Direction | Max period | Swell | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 14 ft | Very rough | W | 11 s | 13 ft WNW | 27 mph WSW |
| Thu 29 | 9.2 ft | Rough | WNW | 10 s | 8.3 ft WNW | 21 mph SSW |
| Fri 30 | 5.3 ft | Moderate | W | 10 s | 4.9 ft W | 14 mph S |
| Sat 31 | 5.4 ft | Moderate | W | 12 s | 5.0 ft W | 11 mph NW |
| Sun 1 | 5.3 ft | Moderate | W | 11 s | 5.0 ft W | 13 mph WNW |
| Mon 2 | 5.4 ft | Moderate | WNW | 9 s | 5.0 ft WNW | 14 mph NW |
| Tue 3 | 4.5 ft | Moderate | W | 13 s | 3.7 ft W | 13 mph W |
Today, every 3 hours
| Time | 12:00 am | 3:00 am | 6:00 am | 9:00 am | 12:00 pm | 3:00 pm | 6:00 pm | 9:00 pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waves | 14 ft | 13 ft | 13 ft | 11 ft | 11 ft | 11 ft | 11 ft | 10.0 ft |
| Period | 11.4 s | 11.4 s | 11.4 s | 11.2 s | 10.9 s | 10.6 s | 10.8 s | 10.7 s |
| Direction | W | W | W | W | W | W | WNW | WNW |
| Swell | 13 ft · 10 s | 13 ft · 10 s | 12 ft · 10 s | 11 ft · 10 s | 9.6 ft · 10 s | 8.2 ft · 10 s | 10.0 ft · 10 s | 9.1 ft · 10 s |
| Wind (mph) | 27 SW | 21 SW | 20 WSW | 21 WSW | 21 WSW | 23 WSW | 20 WSW | 22 WSW |
Previous days
The waves over the last 14 days. Tap a day to see it hour by hour.
| Day | Max wave | Period | Swell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 27 | 15 ft WSW | 11 s | 12 ft W |
| Mon 26 | 20 ft W | 12 s | 11 ft W |
| Sun 25 | 20 ft W | 13 s | 6.9 ft WSW |
| Sat 24 | 8.5 ft WSW | 15 s | 8.5 ft W |
| Fri 23 | 6.6 ft W | 13 s | 6.6 ft W |
| Thu 22 | 7.2 ft WNW | 13 s | 5.9 ft W |
| Wed 21 | 6.6 ft W | 13 s | 6.2 ft W |
Show all 14 days
These are the models at the start of each day (ECMWF and GFS; waves from Météo-France), not readings from a weather station: there can be differences at specific spots.
Questions about the waves in PierowallQuestions
How are the waves today in Pierowall?
Rough (9.7 ft with a period of 10.6 s from the west-northwest). The highest wave to expect is around 19 ft.
Which day will have the biggest waves this week?
Wednesday 28, with waves up to 14 ft (very rough).
What is the wave period?
The time, in seconds, between two crests. With long periods (over 10 s) waves come from far away, are cleaner and break harder; with short periods they are wind waves, choppier.
What is significant wave height?
The average of the highest third of the waves. One in seven is higher and, a few times a day, one comes in at almost double: today, about 19 ft.
More about Pierowall today
Waves near Pierowall
- Kirkwall 2.2 ft · 5 s · 23 mi
- Stromness 7.7 ft · 11 s · 27 mi
- Rackwick 9.7 ft · 10 s · 34 mi
- Saint Margaret's Hope 3.0 ft · 6 s · 34 mi
- Castletown 9.6 ft · 10 s · 52 mi
- Ackergill 1.9 ft · 4 s · 60 mi
Only places with a different forecast: spots a few miles apart share the same model cell and wouldn't add anything.
Learn more
Waves: Open-Meteo with Météo-France (MFWAM, up to 10 days) and ECMWF WAM, CC BY 4.0; wave grid point 2.6 mi away. Near the shore, the seabed and the shape of the coast change the waves.
Forecast from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0) with models from ECMWF, NOAA, Météo-France, DWD, Copernicus Marine and CAMS. Updated at 9:54 pm (local time).
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