On October 7, 2015, NOAA released an upgraded version of nowCOAST, a GIS-based webmap service providing more frequently updated ocean observations along with coastal and marine weather forecasts now available 24 hours a day. The new version now offers a visual point-and-click access to 60 NOAA data products and services. The public can now get a one-stop-shop look at coastal conditions—real-time and forecast—before they do or plan anything on the water.
The original version of nowCOAST, available since 2003, has provided the public with more limited information on the latest observed and predicted coastal weather, marine weather, and oceanographic and river conditions. The new map viewer allows users to animate observations for the past four hours and forecasts for the next seven days. The new version also adds significant data from NOAA’s National Ocean Service and National Weather Service, including watches, warnings, and advisories for hazardous marine weather conditions, even far offshore. It also provides near-real-time lightning strike density data for both land and overwater areas, and hydrologic conditions and predictions from ocean forecast models.
NowCOAST is an ArcGIS-based web mapping application developed by NOAA’s Coast Survey Development Laboratory, with technical assistance and IT support from National Weather Service’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction.