Articles – NWS Marine Weather Portal
What is your go to website to check the weather before going fishing or going to the beach? For the majority of people, there is more than one. The number of websites to view weather and sea state information is overwhelming. From NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) weather and marine pages to private company websites, it seems like the volume of information can sometimes just be too much.
A free tool, the Marine Weather Portal (https://mwp.secoora.org), solves this problem. Accessed by mobile device or computer, the Marine Weather Portal is a one stop spot for all the data that boaters, anglers, and beach-goers need to plan their activities.
The Marine Weather Portal is a map-based interface that provides real-time buoy and coastal station data, NWS point-and-click forecasts, hazard alerts, radar data, and sea surface temperature. It was developed by a project team from the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) in partnership with NWS and mariners.
Use the portal to access easy to view buoy and coastal station data. Just click any dot on the map to see the most recent buoy reports and graphs of the past 48 hours of data. NWS forecasted conditions are also included on the graphs, making it easier to determine if conditions are staying the same, improving, or deteriorating (Image 2).
Sea surface temperature (SST) can be overlayed by toggling on “Sea Surface Temp” from the left-hand map menu (Image 3). In addition, hurricane and storm surge overlays can be added to the map when tropical storms are active. These overlays provide the forecasted storm track as well as locally relevant storm surge information that can aid coastal residents with decision making.
The Marine Weather Portal aggregates data from NOAA’s National Weather Service, National Data Buoy Center, Tides and Currents, National Estuarine Research Reserves, and Integrated Ocean Observing System Regional Associations, such as SECOORA. Funding for the continued development and hosting of the Marine Weather Portal was provided by the SECOORA with NOAA award NA16NOS0120028 (2016-2021).
