Archives Home
Next Bay Swim
Yearly Results
Past Finishers
Summary Charts
Accomplishments
 Past Conditions
News and Views
1-Mile Challenge
Related Links
|
Past
Conditions
|
|
| Thomas Point Lighthouse
is operated by the National Data Buoy
Center, a part of the National Weather Service. The station is part of a network of buoy and Coastal-Marine Automated
Network (C-MAN) stations that measure and record data about weather and water
conditions. Since Thomas Point Lighthouse is located 8 miles south of the Chesapeake
Bay Bridges (see map below), it is an excellent source of information about the conditions
that you will encounter during the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim (GCBS), especially the water
temperature. Wind also plays an important
factor during the event. For example, a steady tailwind from the west-north-west
(WNW) helped to make the 1998 GCBS the fastest
event in Bay Swim history! The same magnitude wind from the north-north-east
(NNE) the following year (1999) created choppy conditions and
surface current that slowed everyone's progress and contributed to 91 swimmers abandoning
their crossing. |
|
Example
TPLH temperature trends:  May-June
11, 2000 (6 pp, 134 kb) |
Start
of GCBS:
Finish of GCBS:
Thomas Point Lighthouse: |
39:00:29N
76:24:08W
38:58:55N 76:20:06W
38:53:54N 76:26:12W |
See
Example U.S. Federal Register Notices |
|
Click on 6 parts of the map for
more details. Click
here for more buoys.
|
| Previous Bay
Swim Conditions |
|
Temp.(°F) |
Wind |
YEAR |
Water |
Air |
mph |
Direction |
2003 |
64.2 |
62.0 |
5 |
NNE |
2002 |
71.6 |
72.9 |
11 |
SW |
2001 |
70.7 |
72.9 |
6 |
SE |
2000 |
70.7 |
75.6 |
10 |
SSE |
1999 |
71.2 |
68.7 |
15 |
NNE |
1998 |
67.1 |
73.8 |
18 |
WNW |
1997 |
63.1 |
60.4 |
9 |
NNE |
1996 |
68.9 |
71.2 |
15 |
SSE |
1995 |
72.9 |
76.5 |
12 |
SSE |
1994 |
70.9 |
71.1 |
14 |
SSE |
1993 |
71.8 |
65.8 |
9 |
ENE |
1992 |
71.8 |
68.7 |
8 |
N |
1991 |
71.1 |
71.2 |
9 |
N |
1990 |
70.0 |
73.9 |
13 |
WNW |
1989 |
70.2 |
63.1 |
19 |
WNW |
1988 |
65.8 |
67.3 |
19 |
W |
1987 |
70.5 |
70.2 |
6 |
SSE |
1986 |
74.8 |
73.8 |
11 |
SSE |
|
Key to Wind Direction |
Wind
Direction
(WD) |
Degrees
clockwise from North |
North |
0 |
NNE |
23 |
NE |
45 |
ENE |
68 |
East |
90 |
ESE |
113 |
SE |
135 |
SSE |
158 |
South |
180 |
SSW |
203 |
SW |
225 |
WSW |
248 |
West |
270 |
WNW |
293 |
NW |
315 |
NNW |
338 |
North |
360 |
|
|
|
|
The above water, air, and wind conditions
were calculated from TPLH Historical Data: |
GCBS
Year |
Sunday,
June |
Start
Time |
Thomas Point Lighthouse Measurements
(see definitions below) |
Time* |
WD |
WSPD |
GST |
BAR |
ATMP |
WTMP |
| 2003 |
8 |
12:30 p |
2:00 p |
34 |
1.9 |
2.2 |
1013.1 |
16.8 |
17.9 |
| 2002 |
16 |
11 :00 a |
noon |
230 |
5.1 |
5.7 |
1009.0 |
22.7 |
22.0 |
| 2001 |
10 |
10 :30 a |
noon |
140 |
2.6 |
2.6 |
1014.1 |
22.7 |
21.5 |
| 2000 |
11 |
9:45 a |
11:00 a |
168 |
4.5 |
4 .7 |
1019.2 |
24.2 |
21.5 |
| 1999 |
13 |
7:15 a |
9:00 a |
31 |
6.8 |
7.5 |
1021.2 |
20.4 |
21.8 |
1998 |
14 |
10:50 a |
noon |
297 |
8.2 |
9.9 |
1001.7 |
23.2 |
19.5 |
1997 |
8 |
10:00 a |
11:00
a |
21 |
3.8 |
4.1 |
1021.6 |
15.8 |
17.3 |
1996 |
9 |
8:30 a |
10:00
a |
149 |
6.6 |
7.4 |
1019.3 |
21.8 |
20.5 |
1995 |
11 |
1:00 p |
2:00
p |
154 |
5.4 |
5.8 |
1012.7 |
24.7 |
22.7 |
1994 |
12 |
10:00 a |
11:00
a |
168 |
6.1 |
6.6 |
1018.9 |
21.7 |
21.6 |
1993 |
13 |
9:15 a |
11:00
a |
72 |
3.9 |
4.1 |
1024.7 |
18.8 |
22.1 |
1992 |
28 |
8:30 a |
10:00
a |
352 |
3.5 |
4.0 |
1015.1 |
20.4 |
22.1 |
1991 |
9 |
8:05 a |
9:00
a |
1 |
3.8 |
3.9 |
1022.0 |
21.8 |
21.7 |
1990 |
10 |
8:00 a |
9:00
a |
296 |
5.7 |
6.9 |
1011.9 |
23.3 |
21.1 |
1989 |
11 |
8:00 a |
9:00
a |
292 |
8.7 |
10.5 |
1021.0 |
17.3 |
21.2 |
1988 |
12 |
8:00 a |
9:00
a |
276 |
8.4 |
9.3 |
1020.0 |
19.6 |
18.8 |
1987 |
14 |
8:00 a |
9:00
a |
160 |
2.6 |
2.6 |
1013.2 |
21.2 |
21.4 |
1986 |
15 |
10:00 a |
11:00
a |
160 |
5.1 |
5.1 |
1019.7 |
23.2 |
23.8 |
|
Definitions of standard
meteorological data measurements:
ATMP Air temperature (Celsius) at 17.4 meters
above sea level
WTMP Sea surface temperature (Celsius), °F =
1.8(°C) + 32
BAR Sea level barrometric pressure (mb), 100 mb
= 29.53 inches of mercury
WSPD Hourly average wind speed (m/s), 1 m/s =
2.237 mph = 1.9425 knots (US)
WD Hourly average wind direction (degrees
clockwise from North), see above
GST Peak 8-sec. gust speed (m/s), RE: Beaufort Scale
Time * Note: In the NOAA
Historical Data, Time (day, DD, and hour, hh) is provided in UTC or Universial Time. To obtain Eastern Daylight-Saving Time,
which is when the GCBS is held, 4 hours are substracted from the UTC. The Time shown
above is the corrected (actual) Bay Swim time. |
|
