Observations available here at buoybay.noaa.gov now also include near-real-time data from buoys that track dissolved oxygen, water temperature, and salinity at multiple depths at each station.
News
So far, 2026 has been a pretty wild ride, weather-wise. Winter was very cold, featuring extended sub-freezing periods. On the flip side, this summer, air temperatures topped 100°F for Independence Day. But the big story for spring 2026 around the Chesapeake Bay focuses on precipitation rather than temperature: The lack of rainfall and resulting higher salinity.
Good news from Virginia, where our partners at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science were able to install sensors on the Stingray Point buoy. Data from that location are once again available via the CBIBS website and app. They installed sensors at York Spit as well, but the data stream from there is not reliable. The team is working on the fix.
The CBIBS team was able to get on the water and reinstall sensors and equipment on May 1, so the Gooses Reef buoy is once again reporting data from near the mouth of the Little Choptank River.
Next up: Stingray Point. The team is working on getting the equipment ready and staged for deployment; we plan to have it up and running this month.
The CBIBS field team was able to install computer and sensors on the Annapolis buoy this week, and the buoy is once again reporting conditions at the mouth of the Severn River.
Next up: Installing computer and sensors on the Gooses Reef buoy. This will happen at the next suitable weather window, which may be later this week.
Work continues to get the Stingray Point buoy back up and running as well. We plan to have this buoy back up and running in May.
Boaters with keen eyes may have noticed that the CBIBS buoys at Annapolis and Gooses Reef are both back on station as of April 23, but that data are not yet available from those buoys. Our team worked this week to redeploy the buoy hulls, but the buoys still need to have computers and sensors installed.
The CBIBS field team was able to repair the Potomac buoy (off Point Lookout) and as of April 10, data is once again flowing from this location.
The team continues to work through some challenges with equipment that sustained damage over the winter due to sustained freezing temperatures. We plan to have three other buoys—Annapolis, Gooses Reef, and Stingray Point—up and running by the summer.