Ocean Prediction Center Virtual Tour - Atlantic High Seas Desk

The Atlantic High Seas Desk is staffed 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays. The daily work flow is split evenly between a day shift (1230Z-2230Z) and a night shift (0030Z-1030Z).

Desk Highlights: ♦ Full Basin Surface Analysis ♦ ♦ High Seas Text Forecasts (METAREA IV) ♦ ♦ 500 mb Analysis and Forecast Graphics ♦ ♦ 48 hour Surface Forecast Chart ♦ ♦ 48 hour Surface Wind and Wave Forecast Chart ♦
	Latest Atlantic Surface Analysis
Forecaster Hugh McRandal completing a surface analysis	Shaded in green: OPC's area of responsibility (METAREA IV)

More Details:

The Atlantic High Seas Desk produces the Atlantic Surface Analysis four times daily at 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z in close collaboration with the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) and the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB). These offices contribute to a final combined hemispheric surface analysis product, called the Unified Analysis. The linked colorized image to the OPC homepage is clickable, or in other words the user can click to an area of interest, and the map will zoom to that specified location along with surface observations.

The Atlantic High Seas Desk also generates the high seas text forecast (NFDHSFAT1) for METAREA IV (bottom right image above), four times daily at 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Metareas are geographical regions of the sea designated under the jurisdiction of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These areas were created for coordinating meteorological information transmission to mariners on voyages through international and territorial waters.

The Atlantic High Seas Desk produces a 48 hour suite of forecast products, twice per day, with base times at either 00Z (night shift) or 12Z (day shift). The 48 hour progs include upper air (500 mb) charts, surface charts, and wind/wave forecast graphics.

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