Boater's Help

How to Understand Weather Data

(printable version)

When venturing out into the ocean, it is also important to understand the atmospheric weather conditions and the latest weather forecast. You should also be aware of any National Weather Service warnings for stormy weather.

Here's some brief information to help you interpret our data.

What is a Meteorological Tower?

Our Meteorological tower is located at our field station near the southern tip of Long Beach Island in Tuckerton, New jersey. It contains many of the same instruments that your average TV weather person uses to tell you the current weather conditions.

What Instruments are on the Tower?

1. Temperature - The Air temperature in Tuckerton
2. Humidity - A measure of how much moisture is in the air relative to the temperature. Muggy days will near 100%, while days around 50% feel dry.
3. Wind Speed - Denotes the average speed of winds 30 feet off the ground
4. Wind Direction - Shows the direction that winds are blowing based on a compass rose.
5. Solar Radiation - A measure of how sunny it is. The higher the value the more the sun is shining and fewer clouds are in the sky. Sporadic values indicate cloudy days.

How can I Use This?

Many boaters use weather information to optimize their trips to the state's bay's and open ocean. No one wants to go out on a day when they will be uncomfortable, either because it is too hot or because the wind is so strong that it causes the waves to grow larger than many boats are seaworthy in.

A lot of local boaters inform us that they use wind speed and direction to determine the waves on the open ocean. For most boats, they say, winds coming from any direction except the NE will provide comfortable conditions.

Most winds are fairly favorable for coastal NJ waters. The worst are those from the NE. The stronger the winds and the longer they blow, usually the stronger the waves. However, when the winds are from the West, often times the ocean remains completely calm near the shore.

Waves require a large fetch (this distance the wind blows over) to form. Thus, West winds do not form waves near the shore, as the big waves formed further out are pushed offshore. This leads to the reverse being the worst. Wind from the NE has the potential to form many large waves in the shallow waters of the continental shelf which propagate along the shelf towards New Jersey.

Before you venture out, you will want to check the waves and winds. This information is available on theCOOLroom site. Even though the waves may be calm now, high steady winds will soon change that. NOAA Marine Forecasts are also a good indicator of coastal conditions. Be sure to check local weather and marine forecasts. Conditions on the open ocean can change rather rapidly.

The best thing to do is find the conditions that are right for you. Then when the weather' right, sail away.

You can also lean more about the Met Tower.