MMAB Operational Wave Models Home Product Viewer Product Table Product Descriptions Model Description Model Data Access

IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective on or about Tuesday, May 8, 2012, beginning with the 1200 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) run, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) will introduce a physics upgrade and a few minor product changes to the Multi-grid Global Wave Model. More information...

The operational ocean wave predictions of NOAA/NWS/NCEP use the wave model WAVEWATCH III^® using operational NCEP products as input (source code is available).

The model is run four times a day: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Each run starts with 9-, 6- and 3-hour hindcasts and produces forecasts of every 3 hours from the initial time out to 180 hours (84 hours for the Great Lakes).

The wave model suite consists of global and regional nested grids. As background information, a list of selected references and a chronological list of model changes are available. Finally, validation data are available for the multi-scale model.

Archival Link to Legacy Website (unsupported).

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Forecast Zones
Click to open the Product Viewer for the selected zone (latest model run)

WAVEWATCH III^® Tutorials

Two COMET modules are available regarding WAVEWATCH III^® and analysis of ocean swell:

• Operational Use of WAVEWATCH III^®
• Analyzing Ocean Swell

Disclaimer

While WAVEWATCH III^® is an operational model, we cannot guarantee the timeliness or accuracy of the model data and figures offered on this site. Please see our disclaimer for more information.

Questions or Comments?

We welcome any questions or comments you may have on the WAVEWATCH III^® system.

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