Buoy 42002: West Gulf - 207 NM East Of Brownsville, TX webcam — United States
Working Still image · every hour Open ocean · Official source · What camera types mean
What you are looking at
West Gulf, station 42002, lies about 207 nautical miles east of Brownsville, Texas, over roughly 3,208 meters of water in the western Gulf. A 3-meter foam buoy, it is far beyond the Texas coast, and its images show only open sea.
Hourly during daylight, as a rule, the BuoyCAM photographs the surroundings in several directions and joins the shots into a panoramic band. You may see calm, sunlit water on summer mornings, gray skies behind a winter front, or heavy seas and low cloud when a tropical system is near. Since the buoy rolls with the waves, the horizon rarely sits level.
For the National Weather Service, this is a key observation point for weather approaching Texas and northeastern Mexico from the open Gulf. It measures wind speed, gusts and direction, air pressure, air and sea-surface temperature, and wave height and period. Mariners and offshore crews depend on those numbers, and Texas surfers watch the swell. Hurricane season runs from June through November; in the cooler months, strong northers blowing behind cold fronts can whip up rough seas quickly.
Camera details
- Operator
- NOAA National Data Buoy Center
- Station ID
- 42002
- Station
- WEST GULF - 207 NM East of Brownsville, TX
- Image size
- 2880 × 300 px (6 frames around the buoy)
- Daylight pictures only
- Yes
- Image updates
- Every hour
- Video format
- Still image (JPEG)
- Position
- Exact (from the provider)
- Licence
- U.S. public domain
- Data source
- NOAA NDBC BuoyCAMs
- Working, last 7 days
- 100 % of checks
From the provider's own camera list and our automatic checks. Readings and details can change without notice.
On the map
Nearby live views
Questions about Buoy 42002: West Gulf - 207 NM East Of Brownsville, TX
Is the Buoy 42002: West Gulf - 207 NM East Of Brownsville, TX camera live right now?
Yes, it is working: at our last automatic check it was sending new pictures. It is a still image, not video: a new photo arrives about every 1 hour straight from NOAA National Data Buoy Center.
Who operates the Buoy 42002: West Gulf - 207 NM East Of Brownsville, TX camera?
NOAA National Data Buoy Center runs this camera. It is an official source. Its images are in the U.S. public domain. LiveLocation shows them straight from the source with credit. About NOAA BuoyCAMs Watch at the source
Where is the Buoy 42002: West Gulf - 207 NM East Of Brownsville, TX camera?
It is in United States. Coordinates: 25.950, -93.780.
Is it day or night there now?
This camera is out at sea or far from a time zone line, so we show approximate solar time. The "Right now" panel above shows the local time and whether the sun is up, updated live.
Can I see other cameras nearby?
No other camera is within 25 miles yet. The live camera radar can search up to 250 miles around this spot. Open the radar here
Does this buoy camera work at night?
No: NOAA BuoyCAMs take pictures only in daylight, so at night the last daytime image stays up. This is NOAA station 42002; its page also has the latest wind, wave and temperature readings. Station 42002 at NOAA
What do the sensors at Buoy 42002: West Gulf - 207 NM East Of Brownsville, TX show?
The latest readings from the provider: Waves: 1.3 m / 4.3 ft, every 6 s from the ENE; Water: 29.8 °C / 85.6 °F; Air: 28.8 °C / 83.8 °F; Wind: 25 km/h / 16 mph from the ENE, gusts 32 km/h / 20 mph; Air pressure: 1,008.9 hPa / 29.79 inHg. They update with the provider's data, so they can be a few minutes old.