Service Change Notice
NOUS41 KWBC 061735 AAA PNSWSH Service Change Notice 13-50, Corrected National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC 1235 PM EST Wed Nov 6 2013 To: Subscribers: -Family of Services -NOAA Weather Wire Service -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network -NOAAPORT Other NWS partners and NWS employees From: Mark Tew Chief, Marine and Coastal Weather Services Branch Subject: Amended: Minor Changes to High Seas Forecast Areas Effective December 3, 2013 Corrected to change description for the East Pacific High Seas in Table 1 (New description) from E PAC FROM EQ TO 30N E OF 140W AND 3.4S TO EQ E OF 120W to E PACIFIC FROM THE EQUATOR TO 30N E OF 140W AND 3.4S TO THE EQUATOR E OF 120W. There is no change to the original effective date of December 3, 2013 and no other changes in this Service Change Notice. Effective Tuesday, December 03, 2013, at 1800 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the National Hurricane Center Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch will reconfigure its high seas forecast areas to align with areas of U.S. forecast responsibility in agreement with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The high seas forecast area in the Tropical Eastern Pacific currently described as E PACIFIC FROM THE EQUATOR TO 30N E OF 140W will be expanded to include the area south of the Equator to 3.4S, east of 120W. The high seas forecast area in the Tropical Atlantic will be expanded to include the small triangular area from 7N 48W to the east coast boundary of Suriname. The description of the area within the forecast text will not change. The high seas forecast area near Peru currently described as S PACIFIC FROM THE EQUATOR TO 18.5S E OF 120W will be contracted to exclude the area south of the Equator to 3.4S, east of 120W, and align with the WMO southern boundary of 18.35S for METAREA XVI. Table 1: Products affected by the high seas forecast changes effective December 03, 2013 Product Name WMO Heading AWIPS ID ------------ ----------- -------- High Seas Forecast FZPN03 KNHC HSFEP2 High Seas Forecast FZPN01 KWBC HSFEP1 Old description used in text forecasts above E PACIFIC FROM THE EQUATOR TO 30N E OF 140W. New description E PACIFIC FROM EQUATOR TO 30N E OF 140W AND 3.4S TO EQUATOR E OF 120W High Seas Forecast FZNT02 KNHC HSFAT2 High Seas Forecast FZNT01 KWBC HSFAT1 Old description used in text forecasts above ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 31N W OF 35W INCLUDING CARIBBEAN SEA AND GULF OF MEXICO New description, no change ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 31N W OF 35W INCLUDING CARIBBEAN SEA AND GULF OF MEXICO High Seas Forecast FZPN04 KNHC HSFEP3 Old description used in text forecast above S PACIFIC FROM THE EQUATOR TO 18.5S E OF 120W New description S PACIFIC FROM 3.4S TO 18.35S E OF 120W Users must reprogram affected hardware and software to continue processing the products in Table 1. An updated zone map shapefile containing the new boundaries for these marine zones is available for download from the following website: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/marinezones.htm Maps showing the current and future high seas forecast areas may be seen at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/hsmz.htm For more information, please contact: Hugh D. Cobb Richard May Chief, TAFB NWS Headquarters National Hurricane Center Marine Services Miami, FL 33165-2149 Silver Spring, MD 20910 305-229-4454 301-713-1677 x 127 Hugh.Cobb@noaa.gov Richard.May@noaa.gov National Service Change Notices are online at: http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm $$