NOAA WAVEWATCH III WAVE/WIND MODEL INFO

The operational ocean wave predictions of NOAA/NWS/NCEP are performed using the wave model WAVEWATCH III using operational products of NCEP as input. This combination of inputs and wave model is called NOAA WAVEWATCH III . The wave model suite consists of global and regional implementations. Buoyweather forecast products are currently based on the global(NWW3) 1.25 X 1.0, the regional Western North Atlantic(WNA) .25 X .25, the regional Eastern North Pacific(ENP) .25 X .25, and the North Atlantic Hurricane (NAH) .25 X .25. The models provide data for open ocean regions only!

The latest update to the buoyweather email systems allows you to choose which model data your forecast or chart will be based on. The regional MED, WNA & ENP should always be used when you are within their domains. The regional forecast points are available at .25 degree lat/long spacing making the model more accurate and finding the right point easier.

Global GFS provides a forecast for any of over 60,000 points around the world. It is a 1.0 X 1.0 grid so you will round off your latitude/longitude inputs to the nearest whole number.

The global NWW3 covers everywhere in the world between latitude 78 north and 78 south. The NWW3 grid points are only along whole latitudes and longitudes are spaced at 1.25 degree intervals. Unfortunately there is no coverage inside the Mediterranean.

The WNA Atlantic data covers the US east coast, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Central America from latitude 50 north to the equator and out to 30 west. The NAH data covers the same domain as the WNA, but the forecast data only goes out 72hrs and is only operational during hurricane season.

The ENP Pacific data cover the US west coast, Mexico, all Central America, and out to the Hawaiian Islands. It goes from 50 north to 5 north and extends out to 170 west. A graphic representation of the regional domains can be seen in the marine charts section of the web site.

The Mediterranean data covers the full region. However, the Red Sea is not covered.

Caution: The model may not provide valid data sometimes for large water areas inside barriers, such as reefs (e.g. Great Barrier Reef in Australia), coastal islands etc. Many small islands are invisible to the model. If you are on the leeward side of an island, forecasted winds and swell may be blocked. If you are in waters at risk of tropical storms, you cannot rely on this weather model for your storm forecast. Many tropical systems and squalls are too small to be picked up by the global model. Buoyweather provides text tropical storm outlooks from NOAA and the US Navy.

The NOAA WAVEWATCH III model data changes every 6 hours, and so does the forecast outlook. Do not use old data! Always request the latest forecast before you make a plan. All the WAVEWATCH and GFS data updates 4 cycles per day. New data is available at (UTC) 08:00, 14:00, 20:00, 02:00. Buoyweather will occasionally have problems getting data from NOAA servers. These problems are beyond our control when their servers are down. Data updates are closely monitored. If the data hasn't updated, it means it's not available.