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Riding the Waves of the Seasonal Roller-Coaster

Average monthly wave heights at NDBC Buoy 44025

It is often said in Pennsylvania that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. And while this March felt more like a ride on an Arctic roller-coaster that wouldn’t end, the good news is that, based on past years, we should soon be on the downward slope towards more calmer weather.

In the Mid-Atlantic, the winter months usually bring with them strong storms and high winds, like the nor’easter we saw earlier this month. In the ocean, strong winds lead to larger significant wave heights, as can be seen in the graph above that depicts the average monthly wave heights off the coast of New Jersey over the course of a year.

This graph was created using 8 years of significant wave height data from NDBC Buoy 44025, which is a little more than 40 miles from the New Jersey coast. Each line represents a particular percentile level, indicating the percentage of measurements that fall below the indicated level. The 50% percentile level is commonly called the median average value. For each month, half of the measured data over the course of the 8 years fell above the median value while the other half fell below.

This graph shows a distinct difference between the seasons. The median wave height in December, January and February is around 4.5 feet, while in the summer months of June, July and August, the average is closer to 3 feet. While the median value is higher in winter months than summer ones, the change is even larger for the 80th percentile line. For that, we can thank those large winter storm events that turn the ocean into one rough ride.

Thankfully, spring will soon give way to summer, and if the past averages hold true, the summer months of this roller-coaster should include calmer waters.