WEATHER & DATA BUOYS
Wind, Waves, Weather and More
Before you head to Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 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 Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Note: you may need to scroll down the page to see 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.
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Current Sanctuary Conditions
You can get an idea of current sanctuary conditions using our Ocean Conditions Dashboard.
This dashboard presents current conditions* from available satellite datasets and is accessed through ERDDAP. Data is updated approximately every hour, however no data is available when clouds obstruct the satellite's view.
*This data is provided as general information and is not intended for navigational purposes.
Click on this image or the link above to access the live Ocean Conditions Dashboard. (This image is just a representation of the actual dashboard and does not contain current information.)
Data Buoy Links
Data buoys near the sanctuary. Click on the image for a larger view. Credit: FGBNMS
There are several different types of buoys in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico that can provide information about on-site conditions near the sanctuary. The types of data collected by the buoys include current direction and speed, wind direction and speed, wave height and period, atmospheric pressure, air temperature and water temperature.
- 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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Specific Buoys of Interest to Sanctuary Visitors
NDBC
Station 42019 is located approximately 67 miles west of Stetson Bank. Although it is not the nearest NDBC buoy to 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 graphics from the buoy, go to
TABS Buoy N. This buoy is located to the west of West Flower Garden Bank, but is not currently collecting data. Historical data is available through 2017.
NDBC Station 42047 is the NDBC summary of data from TABS Buoy V. For more detailed data and graphs from the buoy, go to
TABS Buoy V. This buoy is located within the sanctuary boundaries at East Flower Garden Bank, but is not currently collecting data. Historical data is available through 2019.
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