Ships and Buoys

Around 9:00 UTC September 15, 1999, the eye of Hurricane Floyd passed over NOAA data buoy 41010 (shown here), which is located about 195 km (105 nm) east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, FL The buoy reported maximum 8-minute averaged winds of about 132 km/h (82 mph).

Ships and buoys are other types of observational platforms that provide critical information about the conditions within a tropical cyclone. Ships and buoys are the only routine source of measured waves in areas unobstructed by land and are often the only way to take direct measurements when a tropical system is at sea. Therefore, like aircraft reconnaissance, ships and buoys provide verification for indirect measurements (such as those taken by satellite and radar).