NOUS41 KWBC 211450

PNSWSH

 

Public Information Statement 16-26

National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC

650 AM EDT Wed Jul 20 2016

 

To:       Subscribers:

          -NOAA Weather Wire Service

          -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network

          -NOAAPORT

          Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees

 

From:     Eli Jacks

          Chief, Forecast Services Division

 

Subject:  Experimental Offshore Waters Forecasts for the

          Northeast Pacific Ocean within 250 NM of Mexico,

          Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador Effective

          July 20, 2016

 

Effective Wednesday, July 20, 2016, at 830 am Pacific Daylight

Time (PDT) or 1530 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the

Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of the National

Hurricane Center is issuing, on an experimental basis, offshore

waters forecasts in the East Pacific within 250 NM of Mexico,

Central America, Colombia and Ecuador.

 

Currently the area is only covered by the Northeast Pacific High

Seas Forecast and Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Discussion,

while Offshore Waters Forecasts are provided for the Gulf of

Mexico and Caribbean Sea on the opposite coast. The experimental

East Pacific Offshore Waters Forecast will derive the text from

the oceanic/national digital forecast database (NDFD) which

covers the same area. 

 

Users who do not currently have the capability to download and

view the oceanic/national digital forecast database will be able

to access the text product instead. Ten (10) marine zones will

cover the area within 250 NM of the Pacific coast of Mexico,

with seven (7) marine zones covering the area within 250 NM of

the Pacific coast of Central America, Colombia and Ecuador.

 

Marine observations, local effects, and substantial user

feedback all indicate that the current forecast services

provided for this area do not adequately provide the level of

detail out to 5 days and do not address the local effects for

the marine community. These experimental products are intended

to improve the precision of marine warnings, forecasts and other

services by allowing forecasters to be more specific and

detailed while providing a forecast out to 5 days.

 

The experimental east Pacific offshore waters text products are

available at:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/experimental/epoffshores/data/WRKOFFPZ7

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/experimental/epoffshores/data/WRKOFFPZ8

 

Table 1.  Marine zones and corresponding UGCs for which

TAFB will issue experimental forecasts and warnings effective

July 20, 2016:

 

New Marine Zone Name                               New UGC

--------------------                               --------

Synopsis for the E Pacific within 250 NM           PMZ001

 of Mexico  

US Mexico Border S to 29N within 60 NM offshore    PMZ009

 Mexico

S OF 29N to Punta Eugenia to 250 NM                PMZ011 

 offshore

Punta Eugenia to Cabo San Lazaro to 250 NM         PMZ013 

 offshore                             

Cabo San Lazaro to Cabo San Lucas to 250 NM        PMZ015  

 offshore 

Northern Gulf of California                        PMZ017                        

Central Gulf of California                         PMZ019 

Southern Gulf of California                        PMZ021

Entrance to the Gulf of California including       PMZ023

 Cabo Corrientes   

Mexico - States of Michoacan and Guerrero to       PMZ025

250 NM offshore

Mexico - States of Oaxaca and Chiapas including    PMZ027

the Gulf of Tehuantepec

Synopsis for the E Pacific within 250 NM of        PMZ101

 Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador      

Guatemala and El Salvador to 250 NM offshore       PMZ111  

El Salvador to Northern Costa Rica including the   PMZ113

Gulfs of Fonseca and Papagayo                             

Northern Costa Rica to Western Panama to 250 NM    PMZ115

 offshore

Eastern Panama and Colombia including the          PMZ117

Gulf of Panama

Ecuador including Gulf of Guayaquil to 250 NM      PMZ119

 offshore    

Ecuador between 250 NM and 500 NM offshore         PMZ121

Offshore Galapagos Islands                         PMZ123

 

TABLE 2. Table 2 lists the experimental offshore waters

forecasts issued by TAFB starting July 20, 2016:

 

Product Name                   WMO Heading     AWIPS ID

------------                   -----------     --------

Offshore Waters Forecast       FZPN27 KNHC      OFFPZ7

Offshore Waters Forecast       FZPN28 KNHC      OFFPZ8

 

Comments may be provided via the survey below:

 

www.nws.noaa.gov/survey/nws-survey.php?code=POWFCST

 

The Experimental Feedback period will run from July 20, 2016,

through July 20, 2018. At the end of the comment period, the

product will be evaluated and a decision will be made to

transition to operational status, discontinue or extend the

experimental comment period for additional feedback.

 

If you have any questions or comments about the proposed TAFB

experimental East Pacific Offshore Waters marine zones please

contact:

 

Hugh D. Cobb                    Richard May

Chief, TAFB                     NWS Headquarters

National Hurricane Center       Marine Services                              

11691 SW 17th Street             1325 East-West Highway 

Miami, FL  33165-2149           Silver Spring, MD  20910 

305-229-4454                    301-427-9378

Hugh.Cobb@noaa.gov              Richard.May@noaa.gov

 

National Weather Service Change notices are posted at:

 

http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm

 

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