WEATHER & DATA BUOYS
Wind, Waves, Weather and More
Before you head to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, check
out these links to get the most up-to-date information available about weather,
sea state and water conditions.
Weather Forecast Links
Latest Marine Forecast for Gulf of Mexico. Offshore forecast, including the
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (note: you may need to scroll down
the page to see the FGBNMS information).
Latest Marine Forecast for coastal waters from High Island to Matagorda
ship channel, out to 60 nautical miles, including Galveston and Matagorda Bays.
Latest Marine Forecast for all National Marine Sanctuaries. Click on the "Synopsis" or "Forecast" link for any sanctuary to find out current weather conditions.
Data Buoy Links
There are several different types of buoys in place around the Flower Garden
Banks National Marine Sanctuary. They collect information that may be used by
private boaters, commercial charter operators, industry, government or anyone
interested in learning more about on site conditions in and near the sanctuary.
Data collected includes current direction and speed, wind direction and speed, wave
height and period, atmospheric pressure, air temperature and water temperature.
Uses of the data range from trip planning to emergency response to classroom
exercises in data interpretation.
There are currently three categories of data buoys that provide information
relevant to sanctuary management.
- The National Data Buoy
Center (NDBC) is part of NOAA's National Weather Service.
NDBC designs, develops, operates, and maintains a network of data collecting buoys
and coastal stations.
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Photo Credit: GERG
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- Industry also operates data stations. Some companies make their data available to
the public.
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Specific Buoys of Interest to Sanctuary Visitors
National
Data Buoy Center Western Gulf map shows NDBC and other buoy locations in the
Western Gulf of Mexico.
NDBC
Station 42019 is located approximately 67 miles west of Stetson Bank. Although it is not the nearest NDBC buoy to the East and West Flower Garden Banks, it is the one with the most similar conditions due to its location on the continental shelf.
NDBC
Station 42046 is the NDBC summary of data from TABS Buoy N. For more detailed data
and graphical representations from the buoy, go to
TABS Buoy N. The buoy is located to the west of West Flower Garden Bank.
NDBC
Station 42047 is the NDBC summary of data from TABS Buoy V. For more detailed data
and graphical representations from the buoy, go to
TABS Buoy V. The buoy is located
within the sanctuary boundaries for the East Flower Garden Bank.
Forest Oil - Station FGBL1 is a fixed structure weather station located near the East Flower Garden Bank. It is owned and maintained by Forest Oil and includes a live webcam that updates every four to five minutes.
