Near Shore Wave Prediction System (NWPS) Output

Tracking Two Storms Crossing the U.S. with Rain, Snow and Gusty Winds

A storm gathering strength over Texas today will shift to the Mid-Atlantic through Tuesday night. Areas of freezing rain and heavy snow will spread from the central Plains east into the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England. Further south, areas of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible from the southern Plains into the Ohio Valley. A Pacific storm will move into the Southwest Monday. Read More >

These models forecasts are produced by WFO Mount Holly, NJ, using the NWPS wave models and the Real Time Ocean Forecast System.

The NWPS output is used as guidance to produce WFO Mount Holly. It is only experimental and it may differ from the official forecast. For the official marine forecast graphics go to: WFO PHI Official Marine Forecast Graphics.

NWPS accounts for the following physics:

Wave propagation in time and space, shoaling, refraction due to current and depth, frequency shifting due to currents and non-stationary depth.

Wave generation by wind.

Three- and four-wave interactions.

Whitecapping, bottom friction and depth-induced breaking.

Dissipation.

Wave-induced set-up.

Propagation from laboratory up to global scales.

Transmission through and reflection (specular and diffuse) against obstacles.

Diffraction.

In here you will see 3-hourly forecast outputs for significant wave height, peak wave direction, peak wave period, and significant swell height (heights in feet and periods in seconds). Our local version of NWPS also uses input from WAVEWATCH III for boundary conditions.

NOTE: Significant Swell Height output from NWPS is the average height of the highest 1/3 of the group of waves with periods of 10 secs or longer.