[nws-changes] 20110302: Improved Marine Zone coverage-Fwd: ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC

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-------- Original Message --------

569
NOUS41 KWBC 021615
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 11-14
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
1115 AM EST Wed Mar 2 2011

To:      Subscribers:
         - Family of Services
         - NOAA Weather Wire Service
         - Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
         - NOAAPORT
         - Other NWS Partners...Users and Employees.

From:    Therese Z. Pierce
         Chief, Marine and Coastal Services Branch

Subject: Implementing Improved Marine Zone
         Coverage for the Florida Keys
         Coastal Waters: Effective July 7, 2011

Effective Thursday July 7, 2011, at 200 PM EDT or 1800
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) the NWS Weather Forecast Office
(WFO) in Key West, FL, will reconfigure its current coastal
waters zones for the Florida Keys. This reconfiguration will
provide better forecast services by realigning the coastal zones
for climatological, geographical and bathymetric effects.

This change will provide enhanced forecasts for Hawk Channel,
the smaller zones between Key West and the Dry Tortugas, more
consistency with bathymetry across Florida Bay and Gulf zones,
and remove the zone boundaries near Key West Harbor.

All current zones will be realigned, except GMZ072 (Straits of
Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key 20 to 60 nm out) and GMZ073
(Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile
Bridge 20 to 60 nm out). Four additional new zones will be
added.

Table 1 lists all the products issued by WFO Key West that will
be affected by the marine zone changes.

Table 2 lists all the current marine zones and universal
Geographic codes UGCs for WFO Key West.

Table 3 lists all the marine zones and UGCs for which WFO Key
West will issue forecasts and warnings effective July 7, 2011.

Table 1: WFO Key West products affected by the marine zone
changes effective July 7 2011.

PRODUCT NAME                 WMO HEADING      AWIPS ID
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST      FZUS52 KKEY      CWFKEY
MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE       WHUS72 KKEY      MWWKEY
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING       WHUS52 KKEY      SMWKEY
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT     FZUS72 KKEY      MWSKEY
HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT    WTUS82 KKEY      HLSKEY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK    FLUS42 KKEY      HWOKEY
WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION    WWUS62 KKEY      WCNKEY
SHORT TERM FORECAST          FPUS72 KKEY      NOWKEY

Table 2: Current marine zones and corresponding Universal
Geographic Codes (UGC) for WFO Key West.

CURRENT MARINE ZONE NAME                           UGC

Florida Bay                                        GMZ031

Gulf side of the lower Keys out 20 nm              GMZ032

Gulf waters from East Cape Sable to Chokoloskee    GMZ033
20 to 60 nm

Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 nm                  GMZ052

Craig Key to the west end of the Seven Mile        GMZ053
Bridge out 20 nm

West end of the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West      GMZ054
out 20 nm

Ocean Reef to Craig Key 20 to 60 nm out            GMZ072

Craig Key to the west end of the Seven Mile        GMZ073
Bridge 20 to 60 nm out

West end of the Seven Mile Bridge to Key West      GMZ074
20 to 60 nm out

Key West to 20 nm west of Dry Tortugas out 60 nm   GMZ075


Table 3: Marine zones and corresponding UGCs for which WFO Key
West will issue forecasts and warnings effective July 7, 2011.

MARINE ZONE NAME                                   UGC

Florida Bay including Blackwater and               GMZ031
Buttonwood Sounds

Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to             GMZ032
Halfmoon Shoal out to 5 fathoms


Gulf waters from East Cape Sable to                GMZ033
Chokoloskee 20 to 60 nm out and beyond 5
fathoms

Gulf of Mexico including Dry Tortugas and          GMZ034
Rebecca Shoal Channel

Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to Craig Key          GMZ042
out to the reef

Hawk Channel from Craig Key to west end of         GMZ043
Seven Mile Bridge out to the reef

Hawk Channel from west end of Seven Mile           GMZ044
Bridge to Halfmoon Shoal out to the reef

Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to              GMZ052
Craig Key out 20 nm

Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west          GMZ053
end of Seven Mile Bridge out 20 nm

Straits of Florida from west end of Seven          GMZ054
Mile Bridge to south of Halfmoon Shoal out
20 nm

Straits of Florida from Halfmoon Shoal to          GMZ055
20 nm west of Dry Tortugas out 20 nm

Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig        GMZ072
Key 20 to 60 nm out

Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west          GMZ073
end of Seven Mile Bridge 20 to 60 nm out

Straits of Florida from west end of Seven          GMZ074
Mile Bridge to south of Halfmoon Shoal
20 to 60 nm out

Straits of Florida from Halfmoon Shoal to          GMZ075
20 nm west of Dry Tortugas 20 to 60 nm out

Customers 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:

www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/marinezones.htm

A map showing the existing and additional marine zones that will
be effective July 7, 2011 is posted on the WFO
Key West page at:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/?n=marinezone

For questions about these changes, please contact:

Kennard "Chip" Kasper         Melinda Bailey
Marine Focal Point            Public/Marine Meteorologist
National Weather Service      National Weather Service
WFO Key West                  Southern Region Headquarters
1315 White Street             819 Taylor St. Rm 10a11
Key West FL 33040             Fort Worth TX 76102
305-295-1316                  817-978-1100 X107
Kennard.Kasper@xxxxxxxx       Melinda.Bailey@xxxxxxxx

NWS Service Change Notices are online at:

http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm

$$
NNNN




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