The National Institutes of Science and Technology (NIST) will be discontinuing High Seas and Storm Warnings issued over shortwave radio on Thursday, January 31, 2019, at 1800 UTC. The areas affected are the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific.

Published 6 years ago, updated 5 years ago

Message from: Craig Hodan, Chief Dissemination Systems Branch www.weather.gov/media/notification

This service is being terminated because weather information in the current broadcast format does not support frequent enough updates for changes in marine weather and cannot provide enough detail in the allotted window required by mariners to avoid hazardous weather. Additionally, alternative technologies and numerous media outlets that provide weather information in various formats have overtaken the need for providing weather information through the NIST frequency signals.

Other sources of marine weather and high seas alerts and detailed forecasts are available over satellite, telephone, the Internet, Marine Fax, Radio Fax and VHF radio. Currently the NWS, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the U.S. Navy (USN) provide multiple dissemination methods for storm positioning, high sea areas, observations, forecasts, outlooks and warnings for both coastal and oceanic marine zones near the United States using Navigational Telex (NAVTEX), Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and High Seas SImplex Teletype Over Radio (HFSITOR) in compliance with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) policies and the International Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

Please refer to the following websites for more information on how to use these technologies:

1. www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/navtex.htm (NAVTEX)

2. www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/gmdss.htm (GMDSS)

3. www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/hfsitor.htm (HFSITOR) 

4. www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/inmarsat.htm (SAFETYNET) 

5. www.nws.noaa.gov/os/marine/vhfvoice.htm(USCG VHF)

For additional information, please contact:

Gregory Zwicker

National Weather Service Dissemination Systems Branch

301-427-9682

gregory.zwicker@noaa.gov