microSWIFT Ocean Surface Wave Data, in NHCI: Hurricane Helene 2024 - Observations

These observational datasets were taken as Hurricane Helene (2024) made landfall along the Florida Panhandle. The data was collected, created or utilized for the NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts (NHCI) program. Hurricane Helene originated from the Central American Gyre, and formed into a cyclone at 1200 UTC 23 September, and designated as Tropical Storm Helene on 1200 UTC 24 September. For the next 30 h Helene steadily intensified as it moved through the Yucatan channel and into the southern Gulf, reaching an intensity of 70 kt at 1800 UTC 25 September. From Moskaitis et al. (2025): “A subsequent re-organization of the inner core temporarily brought intensification to a halt (and expanded the outer wind field), but as the new inner core became better defined and the radius of maximum winds contracted, Helene rapidly intensified. During this time the storm accelerated to the NNE, quickly moving across the eastern Gulf to landfall 10 n mi SW of Perry, FL (along the Big Bend coast) at 0310 UTC 27 September 2024.” Helene had a maximum 120 kt wind intensity, and was moving at 27 kts, bringing catastrophic flooding to the Southern Apalachians. Large storm surge inundation varied from 3-5 ft at Tampa bay to 12-16 ft in the Big Bend region of Florida. This observational dataset for Hurricane Helene includes measurements from observational wave buoys: A-size Directional Wave Spectra Drifters (A-DWSDs), microSWIFT buoys, and Spotter buoys, as well as nearshore sensors and remotely sensed satellite measurements. The wave buoys and nearshore sensors were deployed 1-2 days prior to the hurricane landfall. A full description of the storm, observations, and model assets are found in the NHCI Data and Storm Catalog: Moskaitis, J., R. Luettich, J. Thomson, M. Bilskie, J. Davis, j. veeramony, Z. Cobell, D. White, R. de Goede, A. van Dongeren, M. Schonau, C. Sherwood, J. Brown, M. Amini, N. Mumtaz, J. Dietrich, I. Houghton, R. Romeiser, J. Doyle, D. Gesch, A. Clark, S. Fraser, S. Beninati, L. Centurioni, G. de Boer, P. Smit, D. Cox, M. Olabarrieta, J. Warner, S. Klepac, A. Subgranon (2025). NHCI: NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts. DesignSafe-CI. https://doi.org/10.17603/ds2-y6nc-p158.