Storm Domingos is approaching with force, and buoy measurements off the northwest coast of Spain have captured unprecedented waves. A buoy at Estaca de Bares, roughly 32 kilometers north of Galicia, logged the largest wave readings in Spain’s Puertos del Estado monitoring network. The numbers surpass a prior mark set during the passage of Hurricane Klaus in 2009 along the Basque Country coast.
Officials from Puertos del Estado announced that the Estaca de Bares buoy registered a significant wave height of 13.95 meters around 22:00 last Saturday. This figure exceeds the earlier record of 13.72 meters recorded by the Bilbao buoy during Klaus’s extratropical cyclone event in 2009. The magnitude underscores how a single storm can push ocean conditions to extraordinary levels even far from the eye of the cyclone.
Significant wave height is explained as the average height of the highest one third of waves over a half-hour window. In plain terms, this statistic provides a robust picture of typical sea-state conditions at a given location, rather than focusing on a single, possibly anomalous wave. Puertos del Estado notes that, while the 13.95-meter value reflects a statistical average, it does not represent the peak measurement of a single wave, which is often much higher but occurs less frequently. The distinction helps seafarers and researchers gauge the overall severity of a storm rather than chasing a singular moment of extreme height.
This event marks an absolute height record for the buoy network, according to the note from the state ports authority. The network is highlighted as a valuable statistical tool for describing wave intensity at buoy locations, thereby offering a clearer picture of storm severity. In other words, the data help describe how rough the sea is in a given area over time, which is crucial for maritime safety, port operations, and coastal planning.
A caption beneath the image reads: A wave measuring buoy. The accompanying citation is attributed to Efe, a news agency in Spain, reflecting the source of the visual and descriptive context for this event.
Because the Estaca de Bares buoy does not transmit the maximum height parameter in real time, researchers and authorities wait for the complete data set to be downloaded from the buoy system in order to confirm the record. Real-time streams provide a useful but broader picture, while full data files reveal the precise maximum values reached during the storm, which are essential for historical records and future risk assessments.
Other buoys in the regional network also reported extraordinary readings, though not records. Cabo Silleiro logged a maximum wave height of 16.47 meters at 04:00 on November 5, and Langosteira reported a maximum of 15.89 meters at 19:00 on November 4. While both figures are extremely high and indicative of violent seas, the note clarifies that they do not constitute record values within the broader Spain-wide dataset. These measurements still illustrate the scale of the event and the widespread impact on offshore conditions from the same meteorological system.
In commenting on the data, the Puertos del Estado continue to emphasize that such measurements are critical for understanding the intensity of waves at specific locations. The record values do not necessarily imply a single, isolated peak, but rather reflect the extreme energy present in the sea over a period of time. This information supports better risk assessment for ships, offshore platforms, oil and gas operations, and coastal infrastructure planning. It also informs weather services and disaster preparedness efforts across Spain and neighboring regions.
Experts stress that buoy networks provide a unique, location-specific snapshot of ocean behavior during storm events. By comparing significant wave heights across buoy sites, researchers can map how a single storm translates into varying sea states along the coast. In turn, this helps maritime authorities calibrate warnings, adjust service levels at ports, and guide communities that rely on marine and coastal resources. The Spanish system’s historical records enable scientists to contextualize present events against a long-term backdrop of sea-state data, strengthening predictive models for future storms.
As storms of this magnitude continue to occur with notable frequency in varying regions, the role of offshore monitoring becomes increasingly important for safety and resilience. The Estaca de Bares data set stands as a testament to the value of sustained ocean observation networks and their ability to translate raw wave measurements into practical information for seafarers, port authorities, researchers, and coastal communities. [Source: Puertos del Estado, with attribution to Efe for the image caption]