Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS National HQ
Issued by NWS National HQ
701 NOUS41 KWBC 311605 PNSWSH Public Information Statement 24-39 National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD 1205 PM EDT Fri May 31 2024 To: Subscribers: -NOAA Weather Wire Service -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network -NOAAPort Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees From: Greg M. Schoor, Chief Marine, Tropical, and Tsunami Services Branch Subject: Soliciting Comments through July 29, 2024 on a Proposal to Replace the Imperial Unit Feet with the Metric Unit Meter in National Marine Center Text and Graphical Products Through Monday, July 29, 2024, the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Predictions (NCEPs) Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), the National Hurricane Centers Tropical Analysis & Forecast Branch (TAFB), and NWS Pacific Region (PR) will be soliciting comments on a proposal to replace the imperial unit feet with the metric unit meter when providing wave heights in NWS National Marine Center Products. The NWS has received input that customers would prefer to have wave information provided in units of meters in National Marine Center Products. Please note that this does not affect NWS Coastal Waters forecasts within 60 NM of the coastline including the Great Lakes forecasts. These coastal and Great Lakes forecasts of wave heights will continue to be issued in feet. The proposed changes to meters only affects the High Seas and Offshore Zone areas that go beyond 60 NM of the coast of the forecast products from OPC, TAFB and NWS PR. Providing wave information in meters for the offshore and high seas will align the NWS with international partners. Additionally, NWS Alaska Region Offshore products will remain in feet due to unique operational considerations and technical challenges. A transition to meters will be explored in the future for Alaska. Text products in this change include: AWIPS WMO Heading Geographic Descriptor Identifier --------- ---------- -------------------- HSFAT1 FZNT01 KWBC High Seas Forecast METAREA IV HSFAT2 FZNT02 KNHC High Seas Forecast ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 31N W OF 35W INCLUDING CARIBBEAN SEA AND GULF OF MEXICO HSFEPI FZPN02 KWBC High Seas Forecast METAREA XII HSFEP1 FZPN01 KWBC High Seas Forecast PACIFIC N OF 30N AND S OF 67N E OF A LINE FROM BERING STRAIT TO 50N 160E HSFEP2 FZPN03 KNHC High Seas Forecast E PACIFIC FROM THE EQUATOR TO 30N E OF 140W AND 03.4S TO THE EQUATOR E OF 120W HSFNP FZPN40 PHFO High Seas Forecast NORTH PACIFIC EQUATOR TO 30N BETWEEN 140W AND 160E HSFSP FZPS40 PHFO High Seas Forecast SOUTH PACIFIC EQUATOR TO 25S BETWEEN 120W AND 160E OFFHFO FZHW60 PHFO Offshore Waters Forecast for Hawaii Beyond 40 nm out to 240 nm. OFFN01 FZNT23 KWNM NAVTEX Marine Forecast for NE U.S. Waters OFFN02 FZNT24 KWNM NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Mid-Atlantic States Waters OFFN03 FZNT25 KWNM NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Southeast U.S. Waters OFFN04 FZNT25 KNHC NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Southeastern Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Waters off of Florida OFFN05 FZNT26 KNHC NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Atlantic & Caribbean Waters off of Puerto Rico OFFN06 FZNT27 KNHC NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Northern Gulf of Mexico OFFN07 FZPN22 MWNM NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Southern California Waters OFFN08 FZPN23 KWNM NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Northern California Waters OFFN09 FZPN24 KWNM NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Washington and Oregon Waters OFFN10 FZHW61 PHFO NAVTEX Marine Forecast for Hawaiian Waters OFFN20 FZNT31 KNHC Marine Weather HF Voice Broadcast for the Tropical N Atlantic from 07N to 22N between 55W and 64W, the SW N Atlantic S of 31N W of 65W Including the Bahamas and the Caribbean Sea OFFN21 FZNT32 KNHC Marine Weather HF Voice Broadcast for the Gulf of Mexico OFFN31 FZNT33 KWBC Marine Weather HF Voice Broadcast (New England Continental Shelf and Slope Waters) OFFN32 FZNT34 KWBC Marine Weather HF Voice Broadcast (West Central North Atlantic) OFFN35 FZPN35 KWBC Marine Weather HF Voice Broadcast (Washington and Oregon Waters) OFFN36 FZPN36 KWBC Marine Weather HF Voice Broadcast (California Waters) OFFNT1 FZNT21 KWBC Offshore Waters Forecast (New England Continental Shelf and Slope Waters) OFFNT2 FZNT22 KWBC Offshore Waters Forecast (West Central Continental Shelf and Slope Waters) OFFNT3 FZNT23 KNHC Offshore Waters Forecast for the Caribbean Sea and Tropical N Atlantic OFFNT4 FZNT24 KNHC Offshore Waters Forecast for the Gulf of Mexico OFFNT5 FNZT25 KNHC Offshore Waters Forecast for SW N Atlantic Ocean including the Bahamas OFFPZ5 FZPN25 KWBC Offshore Waters Forecast (Washington and Oregon Waters) OFFPZ6 FZPN26 KWBC Offshore Waters Forecast California Waters) OFFPZ7 FZPN27 KNHC Offshore Waters Forecast for the E Pacific within 250 nm of Mexico OFFPZ8 FZPN28 KNHC Offshore Waters Forecast for the E Pacific within 250 nm of Central America, Colombia, and within 750 nm of Ecuador TCMAT1-5 WTNT[21-25] KNHCAtlantic Tropical Cyclone Forecast/Advisory (NHC) TCMAT1-5 WTNT[21-25] KWNHAtlantic Tropical Cyclone Forecast/Advisory (WPC) TCMCP1-5 WTPA[21-25] PHFOC Pacific Tropical Cyclone Forecast/Advisory (CPHC) TCMEP1-5 WTPZ[21-25] KNHCE Pacific Tropical Cyclone Forecast/Advisory (NHC) TCMEP1-5 WTPZ[21-25]KWNHE Pacific Tropical Cyclone Forecast/Advisory (WPC) Graphical products in this change include: Ocean Prediction Center Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific 24-hour wind and wave forecasts Ocean Prediction Center Atlantic and Pacific wind/wave analyses National Hurricane Center/Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch: Atlantic and Pacific Sea State analyses National Hurricane Center/Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch: Atlantic and Pacific 24-hr, 48-hr, and 72-hr Wind/Wave forecasts National Hurricane Center/Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch: Atlantic and Pacific High Wind/Seas forecasts Honolulu Forecast Office Wind/Wave analysis and 24-hr, 48-hr, and 72-hr forecast charts Wave heights in the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) GRIB files are in meters. The NDFD Graphical Display at digital.weather.gov, will continue to be able to be displayed in feet or meters. A brief description of the proposal can be found at: https://ocean.weather.gov/proposed-meters.php You can submit comments on this proposal through July 29, 2024 at: https://ocean.weather.gov/survey-proposed-meters/index.php You can also submit comments to: Darin Figurskey Operations Branch Chief Ocean Prediction Center College Park, MD darin.figurskey@noaa.gov John Hurley Director of Operations WFO Honolulu Honolulu, HI john.hurley@noaa.gov Chris Landsea Branch Chief National Hurricane Center Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch Miami, FL chris.landsea@noaa.gov Melinda Bailey National Weather Service Marine Program Manager National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring, MD melinda.bailey@noaa.gov National Public Information Statements are online at: https://www.weather.gov/notification/