Ocean Forecasts
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General Marine Weather Links                                                                                revised: 1 December 2006

National Weather Service

bullet Map of NWS Local Forecast Offices & Centers
bulletOcean Prediction Center
bulletNational Data Buoy Center (NDBC)
bulletTropical Prediction Center (TPC)
bulletTropical Analysis & Prediction Branch--a component of TPC--Atlantic & Gulf products
bullet Environmental Modeling Center--Operational & Experimental Products

Decision-making Process for your trip

There are two phases where weather and ocean conditions can help you in decision-making your sailing trip:

  1.     Routine and long-term planning.
  2.     Short-term pre-planning and enroute decision-making.

Select the ocean basin from the table below:

Gulf of Mexico Caribbean NW USA SE USA  
         

 

Gulf of Mexico Basin

Long-range  planning--out to 10 days prior to departure

Climatology of the region Explanation of the data
  1. Atlas Pilot Charts
  2. Recent Images-analyses of the Gulf Loop Current

 

Long-range Weather Forecasts

  
  1. Surface Forecast--Day4 thru Day 7
  2.  GFS model out to 7.5 days
  
   

 Short-range planning and Enroute Monitoring

Observations Explanation of the product
Satellite data
  1. National Hurricane Center--current surface chart--SE USA & Gulf
  2. US IR Loop--NCAR
  3. Gulf vsb-ir loop
  4. Gulf of Mexico-Caribbean IR--TPC
  5. Gulf of Mexico--Visible--TP
  
Surface data including buoy data
  1. Gulf (USA South) surface analysis
  2. NDBC Western Gulf region
  3. Eastern Gulf Region
  4. Southern Gulf-Western Caribbean
  5. Texas Automated Buoy System-TAMU
  
Current data--Gulf Loop Current
  

Forecast Products

  
bulletComputer model forecast--Surface winds & pressure
  1. GFS model out to 7.5 days
  2. ETA model out to 3.5 days
  
bulletMarine forecasts--graphics & text
  1. OPC's Atlantic Briefing Charts--
  2. Wind-wave-sfc forecast: 24-72h-NWS-TPC
  3.  NWS Local Forecast Offices with Marine Coastal Forecasts
 1. A compilation of marinefax charts starting with current data (00Z or 12Z). Forecasts are at 24, 48, 72, & 96hours. Products is updated just after 00Z and 12Z.

2. Forecasts from the Tropical Analysis & Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center. It's the same data from the NDBC web page when you select  buoy report. but includes graphic presentation of the worded forecasts.

 

 Caribbean and Tropical Atlantic

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/trop-atl.html

 

 

 Links of intetest

Gulf Loop Current & associated cyclone/anticyclone eddies

    http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/atlantic/loop-current.html

    http://ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD6.1/biggs-wormuth.html#anchor1425137

    NOAA WAVEWATCH III Forecast

    http://ccar.colorado.edu/research/gom/html/gom_nrt.html

    http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/avhrr/gm/06nov/index_thumb_short.html

    http://oceancurrents.rsmas.miami.edu/caribbean/loop-current_2.html

Other Oceanography/Meteorology Web Sites

    http://cwcaribbean.aoml.noaa.gov/sites.html   

 

Map of High Seas Marine Forecast--OPC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://adds.aviationweather.gov/progs/

http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/medr/medr.shtml

 

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