National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce
Nearshore Wave Prediction System

National Weather Service
Caribou, ME

 

 

Please visit polar.ncep.noaa.gov/nwps/viewer.shtml for the national page
Wave Height
Wave Height - click to enlarge
Wave Period
Wave Period -click to enlarge
 
Swell
Swell - click to enlarge
Wind
Wind - click to enlarge
 
Currents
Currents - click to enlarge
Water Level
Water Level - click to enlarge
 
Forecast Comparison
and Validation
Wave Period Partition - click to enlarge
Hanson Plots (Tutorial)
HansonPlots - click to enlarge

 

Schoodic Point Domain
Schoodic Point Domain - click to enlarge
Seawall Road Domain
Seawall Road Domain - click to enlarge

 

  • The NWPS output is used as guidance to produce WFO Caribou forecasts. This is direct model output and this can be different from the official forecast. For the official marine forecast graphics go to : WFO CAR Official Marine Forecast Graphics
  • On this page 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). Additionally, individual wave system heights, periods, and directions contributing to the significant wave heights are provided further below.
  • 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.

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.