Navigate Safer: Experimental Gridded Forecasts Now Available for North Atlantic and Pacific Mariners

The Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) has launched experimental graphical forecasts, otherwise known as gridded forecasts, for both the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans. Gridded forecasts are available for wind speed (kt), wind gust (kt), wind direction, significant waveheight (ft), and wind and freezing spray hazards. Gridded forecasts over OPC’s domain are from 31N to 68N in the Atlantic and from 30N to 76N in the Pacific, and are now available across ice-free oceanic areas between 133E and the North America west coast, as well as from the North America east coast to11E.

Mariners can access the gridded forecasts produced by OPC, the National Hurricane Center, local coastal Weather Forecast Offices including Alaska, and the Honolulu Forecast Office at https://digital.weather.gov/.

If you have feedback on these gridded forecasts, we’d like to hear from you. You can share your thoughts through this online survey. More information on OPC’s transition to full-basin grids can be found in this National Weather Service Public Information Statement.