Sea State - World Meteorological Organization Sea State Code

World Meteorological Organization Sea State Code

The WMO sea state code largely adopts the 'wind sea' definition of the Douglas Sea Scale.

WMO Sea State Code Wave Height (meters) Characteristics
0 0 Calm (glassy)
1 0 to 0.1 Calm (rippled)
2 0.1 to 0.5 Smooth (wavelets)
3 0.5 to 1.25 Slight
4 1.25 to 2.5 Moderate
5 2.5 to 4 Rough
6 4 to 6 Very rough
7 6 to 9 High
8 9 to 14 Very high
9 Over 14 Phenomenal
Character of the sea swell
0. None
Low 1. Short or average
2. Long
Moderate 3. Short
4. Average
5. Long
Heavy 6. Short
7. Average
8. Long
9. Confused
Direction from which swell is coming should be recorded.
Confused swell should be recorded as "confused northeast," if coming from the direction of northeast.

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