Public Information Statement

NOTE: Thank you for your feedback on this change. The NHC is moving forward with the Offshore Zones changes. Please read the Service Change Notice for more details.
NOUS41 KWBC 231834
PNSWSH
 
Public Information Statement, Comment Request
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
225 PM EDT Fri Sep 23 2011
 
To:       Subscribers
          -Family of Services
          -NOAA Weather Wire Service
          -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
          -NOAAPORT
          Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees
 
From:     Therese Z. Pierce
          Chief, Marine and Coastal Weather Services Branch
 
Subject:  Comments Sought on Proposed Change to Offshore Waters
          Marine Zones for the Caribbean, Southwest North
          Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico through October 31, 2011
 
The National Hurricane Center Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) is 
accepting comments on its proposed offshore marine zone reconfiguration in the 
Caribbean, southwest North Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico through October 31, 2011. 
Comments concerning this experimental service are welcome at:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/experimental/offshores/feedback.php
 
Currently there are 5 marine zones covering the Caribbean and Southwest North 
Atlantic and 4 marine zones covering the Gulf of Mexico.  TAFB proposes to 
reconfigure these zones into 24 marine zones to cover the Caribbean and southwest 
North Atlantic and 8 zones to cover the Gulf of Mexico.
 
Marine observations, local effects, and substantial customer feedback all 
indicate that the current configuration of marine zones does not adequately 
address local effects or provide sufficient detail for the marine community. 
This reconfiguration would improve the precision of marine warnings, forecasts 
and other services by allowing forecasters to be more area specific.
 
To meet the time constraints for broadcast via U.S. Coast Guard NAVTEX 
transmitters [HDC1], the products will be based on forecast data within 250 
nautical miles of each of the NAVTEX transmitter areas and will mimic the 
current offshore zones. Graphical images of the current marine zones and the 
proposed marine zones, as well as examples of current and proposed Offshore 
Marine zone forecasts are online at:
 
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/experimental/offshores
 
For more information regarding this notice, please contact:
 
National Hurricane Center
Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch
Miami , FL 33165-2149
305-229-4454 
Hugh.Cobb@noaa.gov
         
National Public Information Statements are online at:
 
  http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/notif.htm
 
$$