NOAA Technical Report NOS CO-OPS 026

A NWS Guide to the Use of NWLON and PORTS®

Computer-Based Products

Silver Spring, Maryland

September, 2001

Revised March 2002

Revised October 2004

noaa National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Ocean Service

Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services

National Ocean Service

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of Commerce

The National Ocean Service (NOS) Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services

(CO-OPS) collects and distributes observations and predictions of water levels and currents to

ensure safe, efficient and environmentally sound maritime commerce. The Center provides the set

of water level and coastal current products required to support NOS' Strategic Plan mission

requirements, and to assist in providing operational oceanographic data/products required by

NOAA's other Strategic Plan themes. The Center manages the National Water Level Observation

Network (NWLON), and a national network of Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems

(PORTS ) in major U.S. harbors. The Center: establishes standards for the collection and ®

processing of water level and current data; collects and documents user requirements which serve

as the foundation for all resulting program activities; designs new and/or improved oceanographic

observing systems; designs software to improve CO-OPS' data processing capabilities; maintains

and operates oceanographic observing systems; performs operational data analysis/quality control;

and produces/disseminates oceanographic products.
NOAA Technical Report NOS CO-OPS 026

A NWS Guide to the Use of NWLON and PORTS®

Computer-Based Products

Janet Burton

Information Systems Division

September, 2001

Revised March 2002

Revised October 2004

noaa National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Don Evans, Secretary Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and 

Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator

National Ocean Service

Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Acting Assistant Administrator for 

NOAA Oceans and Coasts

 

Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services

Michael Szabados, Director
NOTICE

Mention of a commercial company or product does not constitute an

endorsement by NOAA. Use for publicity or advertising purposes of

information from this publication concerning proprietary products or the tests

of such products is not authorized.
-iiiTABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................ 1

2.0 BACKGROUND ........................................................ 2

3.0 CREX BULLETINS ...................................................... 5

3.1 CREX Routine Data Bulletins ........................................ 5

3.1.1 CREX Routine Water Level Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3.1.2 CREX Routine Ancillary Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3.2 CREX Storm Surge Data Bulletins ..................................... 6

3.2.1 CREX Storm Surge Water Level Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.2.2 CREX Storm Surge Ancillary Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4.0 SHEF BULLETINS ...................................................... 9

4.1 SHEF Routine Data Bulletins ......................................... 9

4.1.1 SHEF Routine Water Level Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4.1.2 SHEF Routine Ancillary Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4.2 SHEF Predicted Data Bulletins ........................................ 9

4.2.1 SHEF Predicted Water Level Data Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

5.0 SUPPORT TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6.0 PORTS VOICE SYSTEM................................................. ®13

7.0 CO-OPS WEB-ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTS ................................... 15

7.1 Tides Online ...................................................... 15

7.2 Station Status Report ................................................ 16

7.3 Retrieval of Historical Data .......................................... 17

7.4 PORTS PICS .....................................................

®

18

7.5 PORTS Text Screen................................................ ®19

8.0 REPORTING PROBLEMS AND REQUESTING CHANGES TO NOS PRODUCTS . . 21

APPENDIX 1- NWS STATION LIST ............................................ 23

APPENDIX 2 - CREX BULLETIN DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

APPENDIX 3 - SHEF BULLETIN DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

APPENDIX 4 - CREX AND SHEF GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

APPENDIX 5 - CREX QUALITY CONTROL IDENTIFIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
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-1-

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for providing marine forecasts and

warnings for the protection of life and property along the bays and coasts of the United States. 

The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) within the National

Ocean Service (NOS) contributes to the success of meeting these goals through the provision of

real-time and near real-time water level, current, and meteorological information to NWS. 

CO-OPS currently provides this information to NWS through:

• CREX (Character Form for the Representation and Exchange of Data) Bulletins

1. Routine Water Level Data Bulletins

2. Routine Ancillary Data Bulletins

3. Storm Surge Water Level Data Bulletins

4. Storm Surge Ancillary Data Bulletins

C SHEF (Standard Hydrometeorological Exchange Format) Bulletins

1. Routine Water Level Data Bulletins

2. Routine Ancillary Data Bulletins

3. Predicted Water Level Data Bulletins

• Raw Data Transmissions for Tsunami Event Evaluation

• PORTS (Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System) Voice System ®

• CO-OPS Web-Accessible Products

1. Tides Online

2. Station Status Report

3. Retrieval of Historical Data

4. PORTS PICS (PORTS Image Component System) ® ®

5. PORTS Text Screen ®

Each of these products is discussed in further detail later in this document.

The water level, current, and associated meteorological data are available to all NWS

offices with marine and coastal responsibilities on a routine basis. The products allow NWS to

compare observed water level data to the predicted astronomical tide heights as well as provide

additional data quality information previously not available. Through these NOS products,

increased sensitivity to routine marine changes is provided which allows the NWS field

forecasters to make better use of the information in order to meet its short-term weather warning

and forecasting responsibilities. The routine availability of this data leads to increased

familiarity with changes in oceanographic conditions. This in turn should better alert

surrounding offices of potential events as well as existing conditions. In addition, these products

provide the NWS with an efficient means to access and utilize water level and current data

during coastal storm events when the workload is higher than usual and timely data and

information for decision-making is critical.
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2.0 BACKGROUND

The National Ocean Service (NOS) is responsible for the management and operation of

the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), a network of tide and water level

gauges installed along U.S. coastlines, estuaries, and bays, and a national network of Physical

Oceanographic Real-Time Systems (PORTS ) installed in major U.S. harbors. The National ®

Water Level Measurement System (NGWLMS) is the computer-based data collection,

processing, and dissemination system which supports the NWLON. The Information

Dissemination System (IDS) is the computer-based data collection, processing, and

dissemination system which supports PORTS . The NOS established the NWLON and ®

PORTS , using state-of-the-art technology, to measure water levels, currents, and ®

meteorological data and provide baseline data for activities such as navigation and marine

forecasts. 

There are 175 water level stations and 17 acoustic current profiler installations along the

U.S. coasts, in major U.S. harbors, in the Great Lakes and connecting channels, and in the U.S.

territories and possessions. The primary sensor used for measuring water levels is a selfcalibrating, downward-looking acoustic device that reports 3-minute averages of 1-second

measurements every six minutes. For the Great Lakes, the primary sensor is a shaft angle

encoder. For measuring currents, the primary sensor is a acoustic doppler device that takes

continuous samples and provides an average measurement on the hour and at succeeding six

minute intervals. Some stations also have been equipped with meteorological sensors. See

Figure 1 for a diagram of a typical NWLON installation.

For the NWLON network, gauges collect the data at each site and relay it via the

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) in near real-time to the National

Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) downlink at Wallops Island,

Virginia. The data is then rebroadcast over the Domestic Communication Satellite System

(DOMSAT). Using JAVA scripts, a CO-OPS UNIX-based workstation retrieves the data from

DOMSAT.

For the PORTS network, a PC-based Data Acquisition System (DAS), running LINUX, ®

installed at each of the local PORTS sites, ingests all PORTS data at that site. The DAS polls ® ®

installed instruments every six minutes. The polling is achieved using land line telephone calls,

line-of-site radio communications and/or dedicated leased lines. The instrument data is

converted to engineering units, quality controlled and formatted. Using FTP, each DAS sends

this formatted data to a central PC data collection platform located in SSMC II, Silver Spring,

Maryland, over a commercial and dedicated MCI network. Again using FTP, all data is then

sent via the local NOAA campus network to several CO-OPS special purpose workstations. 

For both NWLON and PORTS , once the data is received by CO-OPS, various products ®

are generated to be used in satisfying NOAA mission requirements such as the NWS mission to

provide marine forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property along the bays and

coasts of the United States. See Figure 2 for a diagram of the NGWLMS system topology.
-4-

 Figure 1 

NGWLMS System Topology

Figure 2
-5-

3.0 CREX BULLETINS

Upon receiving data, a CO-OPS workstation, running UNIX, performs outlier and rateof-change quality checks on the data. Then, for a given list of stations provided by NWS, the

data, along with the appropriate quality indicators, are formed into appropriate data bulletins for

distribution to NWS. The data is arranged within a bulletin according to the NWS-defined

CREX format definitions. Using FTP, the completed bulletins are transferred by NWS OSO

from CO-OPS to the NWS Telecommunications Gateway for dispersal. See Appendix 1 (NWS

Station List) for a list of stations for which CREX bulletins are currently being generated.

Currently, two types of CREX-formatted bulletins are distributed to NWS: routine and

storm surge.

3.1 CREX Routine Data Bulletins

CO-OPS generates CREX routine data bulletins every hour at fifty-nine minutes past the

hour. These routine bulletins contain data reported from stations while the stations are in their

“routine” transmission mode. For some stations, “routine” transmission mode is every six

minutes, for some it is every hour, for others it is every three hours. There are two types of

CREX routine bulletins that can be created: water level and ancillary. 

3.1.1 CREX Routine Water Level Data Bulletins

Each CREX routine water level bulletin contains the hourly and thirty-minute observed

water level values reported in the most recent six-minute, one-hour, or three-hour transmission. 

Tidal residuals which are calculated by subtracting predicted astronomical water level values

from the actual observed water level values are provided in the bulletin except for the Great

Lakes stations. Great Lakes stations do not have predictions; therefore, no residual values can be

calculated. Also included in the bulletin are two quality control flags which represent the overall

quality of the water level values contained in the station transmission: an automatic flag which

indicates if any water level tolerances such as rate-of-change have been exceeded; and a manual

flag which indicates problems with the water level gauge itself, such as sensor problems or

clogging. See Appendix 2 (CREX Bulletin Descriptions) for more detailed information on the

format of the CREX routine water level bulletin and Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control

Identifiers) for more information about the water level quality control flags.

3.1.2 CREX Routine Ancillary Data Bulletins

If meteorological data exists for a station, the appropriate CREX routine ancillary

bulletin is generated at the same time that the CREX routine water level bulletin is generated. 

Currently, the meteorological data values that can be included in the bulletin are air temperature,

barometric pressure (sea level), wind speed, and wind direction. Not all stations have all

sensors, so it is possible to have ancillary bulletins that do not contain information for all of the

given data types. Should a new type of meteorological sensor be installed at a station, the data

collected from that sensor for the given station would be added to the bulletin. Each ancillary

bulletin includes the hourly meteorological data value(s) for each data type for the most recent

six-minute, one-hour, or three-hour transmission. Also included in the bulletin are two quality

control flags which represent the overall quality of the meteorological values contained in the

station transmission: an automatic flag which indicates if any meteorological tolerances have

been exceeded; and a manual flag which indicates problems with the meteorological gauge itself. 
-6-

See Appendix 2 (CREX Bulletin Descriptions) for more detailed information on the format of

the CREX routine ancillary bulletin and Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control Identifiers) for

more information about the meteorological quality control flags.

3.2 CREX Storm Surge Data Bulletins

CO-OPS generates CREX storm surge data bulletins every twenty minutes, at two

minutes, twenty-two minutes, and forty-two minutes past the hour. These storm surge bulletins

contain data reported from stations every eighteen minutes while in their “storm surge”

transmission mode. If no station is in storm surge mode then no CREX storm surge data

bulletins will be generated. 

In order for a station to be placed in storm surge mode, the station must be capable of

transmitting in storm surge mode and either: 1) a “storm event” must occur which will

automatically cause the station to enter into its storm surge mode, based on station specific

criteria, or; 2) CO-OPS personnel must manually place the station into storm surge mode.

• Automatic Activation

For automatic activation, a “storm event” is defined as reaching a pre-determined

critical water level height, typically a high or low value, or a pre-determined rate-ofchange in the water level for east coast stations, or reaching a pre-determined critical

water level height for west coast stations. If a west coast station exceeds a predetermined rate-of-change in the water level, it is considered a “tsunami event” and

the station is placed into “tsunami” reporting mode rather than “storm surge” reporting

mode. Tsunami reporting is handled differently than storm surge reporting and is not

addressed here. See Section 5.0 for information about tsunami reporting mode. The

threshold values used to define a storm event are determined in conjunction with the

individual NWS field offices in whose area of responsibility the station is located and

their respective NWS Regional Headquarters. The NWS Office of Meteorology (OM)

then provides these trigger values to NOS. When a storm event causes the station to

switch to storm surge mode, 18-minute data transmissions continue until the values no

longer exceed those limits coded into the station.

• Manual Activation

A station may also be placed manually into storm surge reporting mode. To have a

station turned on manually, the CO-OPS 24-hour Continuous Operational Realtime

Monitoring System (CORMS) staff must be contacted at 301-713-2540. The person

requesting the manual trigger will need to provide CORMS with their name, telephone

number, the name of the office making the request, a list of the NOS Station IDs for

which the storm surge mode should be set, and the length of time for which the station

should remain in this state. When a station is turned on manually, the 18-minute data

transmissions continue for the length of time requested. If no length of time is

specified, the transmissions will continue for approximately 24 hours or until the

storm surge mode is turned off manually, whichever occurs first.

There are two types of CREX storm surge bulletins that can be created: storm surge

water level and storm surge ancillary. 
-7-

3.2.1 CREX Storm Surge Water Level Data Bulletins

Each CREX storm surge water level bulletin contains the six-minute water level values

reported from the most recent eighteen-minute station transmission. Tidal residuals which are

calculated by subtracting predicted astronomical water level values from actual observed water

level values are included in the bulletin except for the Great Lakes stations. Great Lakes stations

do not have predictions; therefore, no residual values can be calculated. Also included in the

bulletin are two quality control flags which represent the overall quality of the water level

value(s) contained in the station transmission: an automatic flag which indicates if any water

level tolerances have been exceeded; and a manual flag which indicates problems with the water

level gauge itself, such as sensor problems or clogging. See Appendix 2 (CREX Bulletin

Descriptions) for more detailed information on the format of the CREX storm surge water level

bulletin and Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control Identifiers) for more information about the

water level quality control flags.

3.2.2 CREX Storm Surge Ancillary Data Bulletins

If meteorological data exists for a station, the appropriate CREX storm surge ancillary

bulletin is generated at the same time that the CREX storm surge water level bulletin is

generated. Currently, the meteorological data values that can be included in the bulletin are air

temperature, barometric pressure (sea level), wind speed, and wind direction. Not all stations

have all sensors, so it is possible to have ancillary bulletins that do not contain information for

all of the given data types. Should a new type of meteorological sensor be installed at a station,

the data collected from that sensor for the given station would be added to the bulletin. Each

ancillary bulletin includes the first six-minute meteorological data value for each data type

reported in the most recent eighteen-minute station transmission. Also included in the bulletin

are two quality control flags which represent the overall quality of the meteorological value(s)

contained in the station transmission: an automatic flag which indicates if any meteorological

tolerances have been exceeded; and a manual flag which indicates problems with the

meteorological gauge itself. See Appendix 2 (CREX Bulletin Descriptions) for more detailed

information on the format of the CREX storm surge ancillary bulletin and Appendix 5 (CREX

Quality Control Identifiers) for more information about the meteorological quality control flags.
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4.0 SHEF BULLETINS

Upon receiving data, a CO-OPS workstation, running UNIX, performs outlier and rateof-change quality checks on the data. Then, for a given list of stations provided by NWS, the

data are formed into appropriate data bulletins for distribution to NWS. The data is arranged

within bulletins according to the NWS-defined SHEF format definitions. Using FTP, the

completed bulletins are transferred by NWS OSO from CO-OPS to the NWS

Telecommunications Gateway for dispersal. See Appendix 1 (NWS Station List) for a list of

stations for which SHEF bulletins are currently being generated.

Currently, two types of SHEF formatted bulletins are distributed to NWS: routine and 

predicted data.

4.1 SHEF Routine Data Bulletins

CO-OPS generates SHEF routine bulletins every ten minutes, at nine minutes, nineteen

minutes, twenty-nine minutes, thirty-nine minutes, forty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine minutes

past the hour. These routine bulletins contain data reported from stations while the stations are

in their “routine” transmission mode. For some stations, “routine” transmission mode is every

six minutes, for some it is every hour, for others it is every three hours. There are two types of

SHEF routine bulletins that can be created: water level and ancillary.

4.1.1 SHEF Routine Water Level Data Bulletins

Each SHEF routine water level bulletin contains the six-minute observed water level

values reported in a six-minute, one-hour, or three-hour station transmission. See Appendix 3

(SHEF Bulletin Descriptions) for more detailed information on the format of the SHEF routine

water level bulletin.

4.1.2 SHEF Routine Ancillary Data Bulletins

If meteorological data exists for a station, the appropriate SHEF ancillary bulletin is

generated at the same time that the SHEF routine water level bulletin is generated. Currently,

the meteorological data values that can be included in the bulletin are air temperature, barometric

pressure (sea level), wind speed, wind direction, wind gusts, water conductivity, and water

temperature (sea surface). Not all stations have all sensors, so it is possible to have ancillary

bulletins that do not contain information for all of the given data types. Should a new type of

meteorological sensor be installed at a station, the data collected from that sensor for the given

station would be added to the bulletin. Each ancillary bulletin includes the hourly

meteorological data value for each data type from the most recent six-minute, one-hour, or threehour station transmission. See Appendix 3 (SHEF Bulletin Descriptions) for more detailed

information on the format of the SHEF routine ancillary bulletin.

4.2 SHEF Predicted Data Bulletins 

CO-OPS generates SHEF predicted data bulletins once a day at twenty minutes after

midnight (GMT). There is one type of SHEF predicted bulletin that can be created: water level.
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4.2.1 SHEF Predicted Water Level Data Bulletins

A SHEF predicated water level data bulletin is generated for each NWS-defined region. 

See Appendix 4 for a list of these regions. Each bulletin contains ninety six hourly predicted

water level values for each station within the given region, starting with the hourly value for

midnight of the day the report is run and ending with the hourly value for 11:00 p.m, four days

into the future from the day the report is run. Since Great Lakes stations do not have tides, no

predicated water level values can be calculated for these stations. See Appendix 3 (SHEF

Bulletin Descriptions) for more detailed information on the format of the SHEF predicted water

level data bulletin.
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5.0 SUPPORT TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS

The NWS Tsunami Warning Program requires real-time access to water level data in the

Pacific Ocean Basin. Currently, special arrangements have been made between CO-OPS and the

Pacific Tsunami and Alaska Tsunami Warning Centers that allow the tsunami warning centers to

directly download water level data for certain NWLON stations located in their areas of

responsibility. In addition, the Pacific area stations are capable of being placed into “tsunami”

reporting mode in order to track possible tsunami events.

Just as with storm surge, in order for a station to be placed in tsunami mode, the station

must be capable of transmitting in tsunami mode and either: 1) a “tsunami event” must occur

which will automatically cause the station to enter into its tsunami mode, based on station

specific criteria, or; 2) CO-OPS personnel must manually place the station into tsunami mode.

• Automatic Activation

For automatic activation, a “tsunami event” is defined as exceeding a pre-determined

rate-of-change in the water level. When a tsunami event causes a station to switch to

tsunami mode, 6-minute data transmissions continue until the values no longer exceed

those limits coded into the station.

• Manual Activation

A station may also be placed manually into tsunami reporting mode. To have a station

turned on manually, the CO-OPS 24-hour Continuous Operational Realtime

Monitoring System (CORMS) staff must be contacted at 301-713-2540. The person

requesting the manual trigger will need to provide CORMS with their name, telephone

number, the name of the office making the request, a list of the NOS Station IDs for

which the tsunami mode should be set, and the length of time for which the station

should remain in this state. When a station is set manually, the 6-minute data

transmissions continue for the length of time requested. If no length of time is

specified, the transmissions will continue for several hours or until the tsunami mode

is turned off manually, whichever comes first.

 The 6-minute tsunami transmissions are sent directly to the tsunami warning centers in a raw

format for evaluation. The data is not processed by CO-OPS. No CREX or SHEF bulletins

are generated.
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6.0 PORTS® VOICE SYSTEM

Each PORTS system disseminates observations through a voice data product available ®

via a dial-up touch tone phone which speaks the latest real-time observations. The voice system

allows the user to choose what data to hear by providing a menu from which the user selects by

pressing the appropriate touch tone keys on the phone. If the user wants to hear all the

information, about three minutes expire while navigating through the entire menu. The voice

quality is like that of a recorded magnetic tape. The voice system information is available 24

hours a day, seven days a week. Phone numbers associated with the voice system at each

PORTS site are available through the CO-OPS PORTS Web Page by connecting to ® ®

ports.noaa.gov and selecting the desired site.
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7.0 CO-OPS WEB-ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTS

7.1 Tides Online

Tides Online is a CO-OPS Web-based product which provides users with the latest

graphical and tabular water level and meteorological data for all NOS water level stations. For

those stations activated, manually or automatically, for storm surge transmission rates, the Tides

Online product isolates their selection for convenient interactive display. These activated

stations are typically located along the projected path of severe storms such as hurricanes.

Tides Online can be accessed through the CO-OPS=s Tides OnlineWeb Page by

connecting to tidesonline.nos.noaa.gov. Some example screens for navigating from the Tides

Online main page to data for Wilmington, North Carolina are shown in Figure 3.

 

 

 

3a. 3b.

3c. 3d.

TIDES ONLINE

FIGURE 3
-16-

7.2 Station Status Report

CO-OPS generates a report which provides a convenient way to check on the status of

the sensors configured at each of the NWLON stations. The purpose of this report is to provide

information on stations that are not, for some reason, transmitting data via GOES; that are

experiencing sensor problems and have had data dissemination to external users discontinued;

that are scheduled for maintenance; or other events that temporarily or permanently have an

impact on the operation of the station.

The report is periodically updated by the CORMS operator on duty. If a user suspects

that the report does not reflect present situations or conditions, they can call (301) 713-2540,

twenty-four hours a day, to get the most up-to-date information.

The report can be accessed through the CO-OPS=s CORMS Web Page by connecting to

corms.nos.noaa.gov/ccp.html. Upon being presented with the list of stations, a green check

mark means there is a sensor of the given type attached to the specified station, and it is currently

providing data. A red cross mark means there is a sensor of the given type attached to the

specified station, but it is not currently providing data. If there is neither a green check mark nor

a red cross mark for a given sensor at a given station, it means there is no sensor of that type

installed at that particular station. In Figure 4a, the screen indicates that the station at Kings

Point has sensors which measure water level, water temperature, air temperature, air pressure,

and wind; there is no conductivity sensor installed at Kings Point; and all but the water

temperature sensor are currently providing data. To see detailed information about the operation

of a given sensor, simply right-click your mouse over the green or red mark for that sensor and

you will receive a report in a separate window. Figure 4b is an example of such a report for the

water temperature sensor at Kings Point.

 4a 4b

Station Status Report

FIGURE 4
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7.3 Retrieval of Historical Data

CO-OPS maintains a web site that provides users with direct access to the database which

stores all data collected through the NWLON. Through an interface to this database, users can

access real-time and near-real time water level and ancillary meteorological and oceanographic

data from the various stations. In addition, users have access to historic 6-minute, hourly,

monthly, and annual water level data, six months of tide predictions, and tidal datum

information. Users can access and download bench mark descriptions and elevations. The site

provides inventory lists of stations for which different types of data are available, as well.

The CO-OPS web site can be accessed by connecting to tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov. 

The home page for CO-OPS is shown in Figure 5.

CO-OPS Home Page

Figure 5
-18-

7.4 PORTS PICS ®

PORTS provides real time currents, water levels, and meteorological data every six ®

minutes. The PORTS PICS provides a graphical representation of all these real-time PORTS ® ®

observations as well as predictions. Displays that are offered include time series plots for water

level data, current data, wind speed and direction, salinity, water temperature, and specific

gravity. The time series for water level and current data includes observed and predicted data for

18 hours in the past and predicted data for 6 hours in the future from the given time stamp for the

most recent 6-minute sampling. The remaining time series include observed data for 18 hours in

the past. Other displays provide a vertical profile for current data and a vector plot for current

data with a cartographic background. A user can gain access to a PICS display through the web

by connecting to ports.noaa.gov, selecting the desired site, and selecting to view PORTS data ®

products. A sample of a composite of these various displays for Richmond in San Francisco Bay

is shown in Figure 6.

PICS Display for Richmond at San Francisco Bay PORTS®

Figure 6
-19-

7.5 PORTS Text Screen ®

Another product provided by PORTS is a text-based real-time data display which shows ®

the latest instrument measurements from the most recent 6-minute sampling for all sensor

locations at a single PORTS site. It is a single screen, 22 line message. Access to this screen is ®

provided through the web by connecting to ports.noaa.gov, selecting the desired site, and

selecting to view the text-based PORTS screen. A sample of this screen for New York Harbor ®

is shown in Figure 7.

Text Screen for New York PORTS®

Figure 7
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8.0 REPORTING PROBLEMS AND REQUESTING CHANGES TO NOS PRODUCTS

It is expected that from time to time there may be questions regarding the operation of

these various products or suggestions for improvement. There may also be questions concerning

data quality that may not be sufficiently addressed through the NOS Station Status Report. Field

offices should work through their Regional Marine Focal Points with these questions or

suggestions. The Regional offices will contact the Office of Meteorology (OM).

Similarly, there may be sites where the trigger levels for the storm surge/tsunami data

need to be adjusted. Proposed changes should also filter through the Regional Marine Focal

Points as described above. This will ensure that all changes are fully considered and coordinated

prior to their implementation.

The OM Focal Point for these NOS products is Richard May. He will determine if the

problem or suggestion is best addressed within the NWS or the NOS and make appropriate

contacts or assignments. He can be reached by telephone at (301) 713-1677, extension 127, by

fax at (301) 713-1598, or by e-mail at Richard.May@noaa.gov.
-22-
-23-

APPENDIX 1

NWS STATION LIST

Below is a listing of the stations for which data is currently being reported to NWS. Both the

NOS and NWS station identification numbers are given, along with the common station name,

and its latitude and longitude. NOS station identifiers have been assigned by NOS, using a twodigit number for each state followed by five digits for the number assigned to that station in that

state. NWS CREX station identifiers have been assigned by NWS, using the two-letter

abbreviation for each state followed by three digits for the number assigned to that station in that

state. The NWS CREX IDs are generally in increments of ten from north to south, or east to

west as appropriate, allowing for additional stations to be added in the future and using the

intermediary numbers. The NWS SHEF station identifiers are assigned by NWS and are a

unique identifier that can be three through eight alphanumeric characters in length.

Latitudes and longitudes are presented in degrees, minutes, and tenths of minutes.

If the station is equipped to report meteorological data, the data type(s) it is able to report are

annotated as follows: “AT” for air temperature; “BP” for barometric pressure; and “W” for wind

speed and direction; “WT” for water temperature; and “WC” for water conductivity.

To see any changes made to this listing between revision releases of this document, connect to

co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/nwsproducts.html.

NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

1611400 HI010 21 57.4 N 159 21.6 W Nawiliwili, HI WT

1612340 HI020 OOUH1 21 18.4 N 157 52.0 W Honolulu, HI AT,BP, WT

1612480 HI030 21 26.2 N 157 47.6 W Mokuoloe, HI WT

1615680 HI040 KLIH1 20 53.9 N 156 28.3 W Kahului, HI WT

1617433 KWHH1 20 2.4 N 155 49.9 W Kawaihae, HI AT,BP,W,WT

1617760 HI050 19 43.8 N 155 3.4 W Hilo, HI WT

1619910 HI070 27 12.7 N 177 21.6 W Sand Islands, Midway

Islands

BP,WT

1630000 HI080 13 26.5 N 144 39.2 E Guam AT,BP,W,WT

1820000 HI090 8 44.2 N 167 44.3 E Kwajalein, Marshall

Islands

AT,BP,W,WT

1890000 HI100 19 17.4 N 166 37.1 E Wake Island BP,WT

8311030 NY034 44 42.2 N 75 29.7 W Ogdensburg, NY WT

8311062 NY036 44 19.9 N 75 56.1 W Alexandria Bay, NY
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-24-

8410140 ME010 PSBM1 44 54.2 N 66 59.1 W Eastport, ME AT,BP,W,WT

8411250 ME012 44 38.5 N 67 17.8 W Cutler Naval Base, ME WT

8413320 ME014 44 23.5 N 68 12.3 W Bar Harbor, ME WT

8418150 ME020 CASM1 43 39.4 N 70 14.8 W Portland, ME WT

8443970 MA010 BHBM3 42 21.3 N 71 3.1 W Boston, MA WT

8447386 MA012 FRVM3 41 42.3 N 71 9.8 W Fall River, MA AT,BP,WT,WC

8447387 MA013 BLTM3 41 42.3 N 71 10.4 W Borden Flats Light at

Fall River, MA

W

8447930 MA015 BZBM3 41 31.4 N 70 40.3 W Woods Hole, MA WT

8449130 MA020 NTKM3 41 17.1 N 70 5.8 W Nantucket Island, MA WT

8452660 RI010 NWPR1 41 30.3 N 71 19.6 W Newport, RI AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8452944 RI012 CPTR1 41 43.0 N 71 20.6 W Conimicut Light, RI AT,BP,W,WT

8452951 RI013 PTCR1 41 38.1 N 71 20.4 W Potter Cove, Prudence

Island, RI

AT,BP,W

8454000 RI015 FOXR1 41 48.4 N 71 24.1 W Providence, RI AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8454049 RI016 QPTR1 41 35.1 N 71 24.5 W Quonset Point, RI AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8461490 CT010 NLNC3 41 21.3 N 72 5.2 W New London, CT WT

8465705 CT015 NWHC3 41 17.0 N 72 54.5 W New Haven, CT AT,BP,W,WT

8467150 CT020 BRHC3 41 10.4 N 73 10.9 W Bridgeport, CT WT

8510560 NY010 MTKN6 41 2.9 N 71 57.6 W Montauk, NY WT

8516945 NY015 KPTN6 40 48.6 N 73 45.9 W Kings Point, NY AT,BP,W,WT

8518750 NY030 BATN6 40 42.0 N 74 0.9 W The Battery, NY WT

8519483 NY033 BGNN4 40 38.4 N 74 8.8 W Bergen Point West

Reach, NY

AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8531680 NJ010 SDHN4 40 28.0 N 74 0.6 W Sandy Hook, NJ BP,W,WT,WC

8534720 NJ015 ACYN4 39 21.3 N 74 25.1 W Atlantic City, NJ WT

8536110 NJ020 CMAN4 38 58.1 N 74 57.6 W Cape May, NY AT,BP,W,WT

8545240 PA010 PHBP1 39 56.0 N 75 8.5 W Philadelphia, Pa AT,BP,W,WT

8548989 NBLP1 40 8.2 N 74 45.1 W Newbold, PA AT,W,WT

8551762 DELD1 39 34.9 N 75 35.4 W Delaware City, DE AT,BP,W,WT
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-25-

8551910 DE010 RDYD1 39 33.5 N 75 34.4 W Reedy Point, DE WT

8557380 DE020 LWSD1 38 46.9 N 75 7.2 W Lewes, DE AT,BP,W,WT

8571892 MD025 CAMM2 38 34.4 N 76 4.1 W Cambridge, MD AT,BP,W,WT

8573364 MD015 TCBM2 39 12.8 N 76 14.7 W Tolchester Beach, MD AT,BP,W,WT

8574680 MD010 BLTM2 39 16.0 N 76 34.7 W Baltimore, MD WT,WC

8575512 MD020 APAM2 38 59.0 N 76 28.8 W Annapolis, Md

8577330 MD030 SLIM2 38 19.0 N 76 27.1 W Solomons Island, MD AT,BP,W,WT

8594900 DC010 WASD2 38 52.4 N 77 1.3 W Washington, DC WT

8631044 VA010 WAHV2 37 36.4 N 75 41.2 W Wachapreague, VA BP,WT

8632200 VA020 KPTV2 37 10.0 N 75 59.3 W Kiptopeke, VA W,WT

8632837 VA025 RPLV2 37 32.3 N 76 0.9 W Rappahannock Light,

VA

BP,W

8635750 VA040 LWTV2 37 59.7 N 76 27.9 W Lewisetta, VA AT,BP,W,WT

8636580 VA0456 WNDV2 37 36.9 N 76 17.6 W Windmill Point, VA WT

8638610 VA070 SWPV2 36 57.3 N 76 19.9 W Sewells Point, VA AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8638863 VA060 CBBV2 36 58.0 N 76 6.8 W Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Tunnel, VA

AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8638979 VA061 CHLV2 36 54.3 N 75 41.8 W Chesapeake Light, VA W

8639348 VA062 MNPV2 36 46.7 N 76 18.1 W Money Point, VA AT,W,WT,WC

8651370 NC010 DUKN7 36 11.0 N 75 44.8 W Duck, NC AT,BP,W,WT

8652587 NC015 ORIN7 35 47.8 N 75 33.0 W Oregon Inlet Marina,

NC

WT

8654400 NC020 CFPN7 35 13.4 N 75 38.1 W Cape Hatteras Fishing

Pier, NC

AT,BP,W,WT

8656483 NC030 BFTN7 34 43.2 N 76 40.2 W Beaufort, NC WT

8658120 NC040 34 13.6 N 77 57.2 W Wilmington, NC WT

8661070 SC010 MROS1 33 39.3 N 78 55.1 W Springmaid Pier, SC AT,BP,W,WT

8665530 SC020 32 46.9 N 79 55.5 W Charleston, SC WT,WC

8670870 FPKG1 32 02.0 N 80.54.1 W Fort Pulaski, GA W,AT,WT

8677344 GA020 31 7.9 N 81 23.8 W St. Simons Lighthouse,

GA

8720030 FL005 FRDF1 30 40.3 N 81 27.9 W Fernandina Beach, FL AT,BP,W,WT
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-26-

8720218 FL010 MYPF1 30 23.8 N 81 25.8 W Mayport (Bar Pilots

Dock), FL

AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8720587 FL020 29 51.4 N 81 15.8 W St. Augustine Beach, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8721604 FL025 TRDF1 28 24.9 N 80 35.6 W Trident Pier, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8723214 FL040 VAKF1 24 43.9 N 80 9.7 W Virginia Key, FL AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8723970 FL050 VCAF1 24 42.7 N 81 63. W Vaca Key, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8724580 FL060 KYWF1 24 33.2 N 81 48.5 W Key West, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8725110 FL070 NPSF1 26 7.8 N 81 48.4 W Naples, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8725520 FL065 FMRF1 26 38.8 N 81 52.3 W Fort Myers, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8726520 FL080 SAPF1 27 45.6 N 82 37.6 W St. Petersburg, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8726724 FL085 CWBF1 27 58.6 N 82 49.9 W Clearwater Beach, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8727520 FL087 CKYF1 29 8.1 N 83 1.9 W Cedar Key, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8728690 FL090 APCF1 29 43.6 N 84 58.9 W Apalachicola, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8729108 FL097 30 9.1 N 85 40.0 W Panama City, FL WT

8729210 FL100 PCBF1 30 12.8 N 85 52.8 W Panama City Beach, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8729840 FL110 PCLF1 30 24.2 N 87 12.7 W Pensacola, FL AT,BP,W,WT

8735180 AL020 30 15.0 N 88 4.5 W Dauphin Island, AL AT,BP,W,WT

8747766 MS100 WAVM6 30 16.9 N 89 22.0 W Waveland, MS AT,BP,W,WT

8761724 LA020 GISL1 29 15.8 N 89 57.4 W Grand Isle, LA AT,BP,W,WT

8770570 TX010 SBPT2 29 43.8 N 93 52.2 W Sabine Pass North, TX AT,BP,WT

8770613 TX036 MGPT2 29 40.6 N 94 59.1 W Morgans Point, TX AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

8770777 TX035 29 43.1 N 95.15.1 W Manchester,TX WT

8771013 TX033 EPTT2 29 28.8 N 94 55.1 W Eagle Point, TX AT,BP,W,WT

8771450 TX020 GTOT2 29 18.8 N 94 47.6 W Galveston Pier 21, TX AT,BP,WT

8771510 TX030 GPST2 29 17.1 N 94 47.3 W Galveston Pleasure Pier,

TX

AT,BP,W,WT

8772440 TX040 28 56.9 N 95 18.5 W Freeport, TX W,WT

8774770 TX050 28 1.3 N 97 2.8 W Rockport, TX WT

8775870 TX060 MQTT2 27 34.8 N 97 13.0 W Corpus Christi, TX AT,W,WT

8779770 TX080 PTIT2 26 3.7 N 97 12.8 W Port Isabel, TX AT,BP,W,WT
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-27-

9014070 MI240 42 37.2 N 82 31.6 W Algonac, MI

9014080 MI250 42 48.8 N 82 29.2 W St. Clair State Police, MI

9014087 MI260 42 56.7 N 82 26.6 W Dry Dock, MI

9014090 MI255 42 58.4 N 82 25.2 W Mouth of the Black

River, MI

9014096 MI256 43 0.2 N 82 25.3 W Dunn Paper, MI

9014098 MI245 FTGM4 43 0.4 N 82 25.5 W Fort Gratiot, MI BP

9034052 MI230 42 28.4 N 82 52.8 W St. Clair Shores, MI

9044020 MI200 42 5.5 N 83 11.2 W Gibraltar, MI

9044030 MI210 42 12.2 N 83 8.8 W Wyandotte, MI

9044036 MI220 42 17.9 N 83 5.6 W Fort Wayne, MI

9044049 MI221 42 21.5 N 82 55.8 W Windmill Point, MI

9052000 NY038 44 7.8 N 76 20.2 W Cape Vincent, NY

9052030 NY040 OSGN6 43 27.8 N 76 30.7 W Oswego, NY AT,W,WT

9052058 NY041 43 16.2 N 77 37.6 W Rochester, NY

9052076 NY042 43 20.3 N 78 43.6 W Olcott, NY

9063007 NY043 43 6.0 N 79 3.6 W Ashland Ave., NY

9063009 NY046 43 4.9 N 79 3.7 W American Falls, NY

9063020 NY050 BUFN6 42 52.6 N 78 53.4 W Buffalo, NY AT,BP,W,WT

9063028 NY060 42 41.4 N 79 2.9 W Sturgeon Point, NY

9063038 PA012 42 9.2 N 80 4.5 W Erie, PA

9063053 OH010 41 45.0 N 81 17.0 W Fairport, OH

9063063 OH020 41 32.4 N 81 38.1 W Cleveland, OH

9063079 OH025 41 32.7 N 82 43.9 W Marblehead, OH

9063085 OH030 41 41.6 N 83 28.3 W Toledo, OH

9063090 MI010 41 57.6 N 83 15.5 W Fermi Power Plant, MI

9075002 MI257 43 8.5 N 82 29.6 W Lakeport, MI

9075014 MI013 HRBM4 43 50.8 N 82 38.6 W Harbor Beach, MI AT,BP,W,WT

9075035 MI016 43 38.5 N 83 50.8 W Essexville, MI

975059 MI270 44 39.6 N 83 17.2 W Harrisville, MI
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-28-

9075080 MI019 45 46.7 N 84 43.2 W Mackinaw City, MI

9075099 MI100 DTLM4 45 59.5 N 83 53.8 W De Tour Village, MI AT,BP,W,WT

9076024 RCKM4 46 15.9 N 84 11.5 W Rock Cut, MI AT,BP,W,WT

9076060 MI110 46 30.0 N 84 20.4 W U.S. Slip, MI

9076070 MI120 SWPM4 46 30.1 N 84 22.4 W S.W. Pier, MI AT,BP,W,WT

9087023 MI025 LDTM4 43 56.8 N 86 26.5 W Ludington, MI AT,BP,W,WT

9087031 MI290 42 46.1 N 86 12.1 W Holland, MI

9087044 IL010 CMTI2 41 43.8 N 87 32.3 W Calumet Harbor, IL AT,BP,W,WT

9087057 WI010 43 0.1 N 87 53.2 W Milwaukee, WI

9087068 WIO15 44 27.8 N 87 30.0 W Kewaunee, WI

9087072 WI020 44 47.7 N 87 18.8 W Sturgeon Bay Canal, WI

9087079 WI040 44 32.4 N 88 0.5 W Green Bay, WI

9087096 MI020 45 58.3 N 85 52.3 W Port Inland, MI

9099004 MI130 PTIM4 46 29.1 N 84 37.9 W Point Iroquois, MI AT,BP,W,WT

9099018 MI140 MCGM4 46 32.7 N 87 22.7 W Marquette C.G., MI AT,BP,W,WT

9099044 MI145 46 52.7 N 89 19.3 W Onotonagon, MI

9099064 MN100 DULM5 46 46.5 N 92 5.6 W Duluth, MN AT,BP,W,WT

9099090 MN110 GDMM5 47 44.9 N 90 20.5 W Grand Marais, MN AT,BP,WT

9410170 CA010 SDBC1 32 42.8 N 117 10.4 W San Diego, CA WT

9410230 CA020 LJAC1 32 52.0 N 117 15.5 W La Jolla, CA WT

9410660 CA030 OHBC1 33 43.2 N 118 16.3 W Los Angeles, CA BP,WT

9410840 CA040 SMOC1 34 0.5 N 118 30.0 W Santa Monica, CA WT

9412110 CA060 PSLC1 35 10.6 N 120 45.6 W Port San Luis, CA WT

9413450 CA070 MTYC1 36 36.3 N 121 53.3 W Monterey, CA WT

9414290 CA080 FTPC1 37 48.4 N 122 27.9 W San Francisco, CA AT,BP,W,WT

9414523 CA075 RTYC1 37 30.4 N 122 12.6 W Redwood City, CA AT,BP,W,WT

9414750 CA085 AAMC1 37 46.3 N 122 17.9 W Alameda, CA AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

9414863 CA087 RCMC1 37 55.7 N 122 24.0 W Richmond, CA AT,BP,W,WT,

WC

9415020 CA090 PRYC1 37 59.8 N 122 58.5 W Point Reyes, CA WT
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-29-

9415144 CA100 PCOC1 38 3.4 N 122 2.3 W Port Chicago, CA AT,BP,W,WT

9416841 CA110 ANVC1 38 54.8 N 123 42.5 W Arena Cove, CA AT,BP,W,WT

9418767 CA120 HBYC1 40 46.0 N 124 13.0 W North Spit, CA WT

9419750 CA130 CECC1 41 44.7 N 124 11.0 W Crescent City, CA WT

9431647 OR010 PORO3 42 44.4 N 124 29.8 W Port Orford, OR AT,BP,W,WT

9432780 OR020 CHAO3 43 20.7 N 124 19.3 W Charleston, OR WT

9435380 OR030 SBEO3 44 37.5 N 124 2.6 W South Beach, OR AT,BP,W,WT

9439040 OR040 ASTO3 46 12.5 N 123 46.0 W Astoria, OR WT

9440910 WA010 TOKW1 46 42.5 N 123 57.9 W Toke Point, WA AT,BP,W,WT

9443090 WA020 NEAW1 48 22.1 N 124 37.0 W Neah Bay, WA WT

9444090 WA030 PTAW1 48 7.5 N 123 26.4 W Port Angeles, WA WT

9444900 WA040 PTWW1 48 6.9 N 122 45.5 W Port Townsend, WA WT

9446484 WWA045 TCNW1 47 16.0 N 122 24.8 W Tacoma, WA BP,W,WT

9447130 WA050 EBSW1 47 36.3 N 122 20.3 W Seattle, WA AT.BP,W,WT

9449424 WA060 CHYW1 48 51.8 N 122 45.5 W Cherry Point, WA WT

9449880 WA070 FRDW1 48 32.8 N 123 0.6 W Friday Harbor, WA WT

9450460 AK010 55 20.0 N 131 37.5 W Ketchikan, AK WT

9451600 AK020 57 3.1 N 135 20.5 W Sitka, AK WT

9452210 AK030 58 17.9 N 134 24.7 W Juneau, AK WT

9452400 AK035 SKTA2 59 27.0 N 135 19.5 W Skagway, AK

9453220 AK040 59 32.9 N 139 44.0 W Yakutat, AK WT

9454050 AK050 60 33.5 N 145 45.2 W Cordova, AK WT

9454240 AK060 61 7.5 N 146 21.7 W Valdez, AK WT

9455090 AK070 60 7.2 N 149 25.6 W Seward, AK WT

9455500 AK080 59 26.4 N 151 43.2 W Seldovia, AK WT

9455760 AK084 NKTA2 60 41.0 N 151 23.8 W Nikiski, AK AT,BP,W,WT

9455920 AK085 ANTA2 61 14.3 N 149 53.4 W Anchorage, AK AT,BP,W,WT

9457292 AK090 57 43.9 N 152.30.7 W Kodiak Island, AK WT

9459450 AK100 55 20.0 N 160 30.1 W Sand Point, AK WT

9461380 AK110 ADKA2 51 51.8 N 176 37.9 W Adak Island, AK AT,BP,W,WT
NOS ID CREX ID SHEF ID LAT LON LOCATION MET DATA

-30-

9462620 AK120 53 52.8 N 166 32.2 W Unalaska, AK WT

9468756 AK150 NMTA2 64 30.0 N 165 25.8 W Nome, Norton Sound,

AK

AT,BP,W,WT

9497645 AK130 PRDA2 70 23.3 N 148 30.6 W Prudhoe Bay, AK AT,BP,W,WT

9751401 PR040 LBTV3 17 41.8 N 64 45.2 W Lime Tree Bay, VI AT,BP,W,WT

9751639 PR030 CHAV3 18 20.2 N 64 55.2 W Charlotte Amalie, VI AT,BP,W,WT

9755371 PR010 SJNP4 18 27.7 N 66 7.0 W San Juan, PR AT,BP,W,WT

9759110 PR020 MGIP4 17 58.3 N 67 2.8 W Magueyes Island, PR AT,BP,W,WT
-31-

APPENDIX 2

CREX BULLETIN DESCRIPTIONS

One of the formats used for the relay of NOS data to NWS is called CREX (Character Form for

the Representation and EXchange of data). A formal description of CREX code is available

from NWS. The following descriptions apply only to the formats being used by CO-OPS for

providing data to NWS.

Routine Water Level Bulletin

The following is a detailed explanation of a routine water level CREX bulletin. Throughout the

bulletin one or more slashes (///) indicate that a value was not available, each subset (a report)

ends with the terminator (+) and two plus signs (++) indicate the end of a section. A routine

water level bulletin contains 30-minute water level values.

SOUS52 KWBC 021659

CREX++

T000101 A001 D06022++

MA015 2003 11 02 16 00 5222 00 00 0030 -30

00159 0045 00118 0035 00109 0057 ///// //// ///// ////+

RI015 2003 11 02 16 00 4632 00 00 0030 -30

00199 0063 00248 0085 00240 0043 00315 0084 00340 0078++

7777

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SOUS52 KWBC identifies the WMO region in

which the data was collected. The region specified here is the Atlantic Coast. See Appendix 4

(CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the region identifiers. 021659

specifies, in GMT, the day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this case, the bulletin

was created on day 02, at hour 16, and minute 59.

The second line of each bulletin indicates the bulletin is of type CREX. On the third line of each

bulletin, T000101 indicates that it is from the CREX master table number 00, using edition 01

and version 01 of that edition. A001 indicates the bulletin contains sea surface information. 

D06022 indicates the bulletin contains water level data.

The fourth and fifth lines of this bulletin are specific to the station for which data is being

reported. One line is station header information and the other line contains the actual data. 

These two lines will be repeated for each station for which data exists.

In the station header record, the NWS Station Identifier is given which in this case is MA015,

the identifier for Woods Hole, Massachusetts. 2003 11 02 16 00 (year/month/day/hour/minute)

is the initial time that is to be used to calculate the measurement times for the 30-minute water

level values contained in the bulletin for the given station. If the data is from a Great Lakes

station, this time is local standard time. For all other stations, the time is GMT. 5222 is the sea

surface temperature in degrees kelvin to tenths. 00 00 are the two numeric flags which indicate

the overall quality of the data. The first set of numbers is the automatic flag and indicates the
-32-

quality of the data. The second set of numbers is the manual flag and indicates the quality of the

water level gauge. In this example, the first 00 indicates that the quality of the data is good and

the second 00 indicates that the gauge is operational. See Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control

Identifiers) for a list of all flags. 0030 indicates the number of minutes that are to be added to

the initial time, referred to earlier, to calculate the measurement time for the first and most recent

30-minute water level value for the given station. -30 indicates the time increment between

measurements. How to use this information to determine the time of each measurement is

discussed in the next paragraph.

In a routine water level bulletin, a data record contains six water level values along with an

associated residual value for each. The values are reported in millimeters. In this example,

00159, 00118, and 00109 are the water level values. 0045, 0035, and 0057 are the associated

residual values. To determine the time of each measurement, start with the time provided in the

station header record which in this case is 2003 11 02 16 00. The station header record indicates

30 minutes need to be added to 2003 11 02 16 00 to calculate the measurement time for the first

and most recent water level value. Then -30 minutes are to be applied to determine each

succeeding measurement time. This means, in keeping with the given example:

00159 was measured at 2003 11 02 16:30 GMT

00118 was measured at 2003 11 02 16:00 GMT

00109 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:30 GMT

The last line of each bulletin will be 7777 to indicate the end of the bulletin.

Routine Ancillary Data Bulletin

The following is a detailed explanation of the routine meteorological CREX bulletin. 

Throughout the bulletin, one or more slashes (///) indicate that a value was not available, each

subset (a report) ends with the terminator (+) and two plus signs (++) indicate the end of a

section. A routine meteorological bulletin contains hourly meteorological values.

SOUS54 KWBC 021459

CREX++

T000101 A001 D06021++

TX030 2003 11 02 13 00 00 00 014 10166 351 0009+

TX040 2003 11 02 13 00 00 00 102 10215 /// ////++

7777

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SOUS54 KWBC identifies the WMO region in

which the data was collected. The region specified here is the Gulf of Mexico Coast. See

Appendix 4 (CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the region identifiers. 

021459 specifies the GMT day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this case, the

bulletin was created on day 02, at hour 14, and minute 59.

The second line of each bulletin indicates the bulletin is of type CREX. On the third line of each

bulletin, T000101 indicates that it is from the CREX master table number 00, using edition 01
-33-

and version 01 of that edition. A001 indicates the bulletin contains sea surface information. 

D06021 indicates the bulletin contains meteorological data.

The fourth line of this bulletin is specific to the station for which data is being reported. It

contains both the header information and the actual data. This line will be repeated for each

station for which a set of hourly meteorological values exists. In this record, the NWS Station

Identifier is TX030 and is the identifier for Galveston Pleasure Pier, Texas. 2003 11 02 13 00

(year/month/day/hour/minute) is the measurement time that is to be assigned to the set of hourly

meteorological values contained in the bulletin for the given station. If the data is from a Great

Lakes station, this time is local standard time. For all other stations, the time is GMT. 00 00 are

the two numeric flags which indicate the overall quality of the data. The first set of numbers is

the automatic flag and indicates the quality of the data. The second set of numbers is the manual

flag and indicates the quality of the meteorological gauge. In this example, the first set of 00

indicates that the quality of the data is good and the second set of 00 indicates that the gauge is

operational. See Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control Identifiers) for a list of all flags. The

remaining values in the record are the actual data values. In a set, the first value is Air

Temperature in degrees Celsius (to tenths), the second value is Sea Level Pressure in hPa (to

tenths), the next value is Wind Direction in tens of degrees and the final value is Wind Speed in

m/sec. So for Galveston Pleasure Pier, Texas, the following is being reported:

Air Temperature 014 was measured at 2003 11 02 13:00 GMT

Sea Level Pressure 10166 was measured at 2003 11 02 13:00 GMT

Wind Direction 351 was measured at 2003 11 02 13:00 GMT

Wind Speed 0009 was measured at 2003 11 02 13:00 GMT

The last line of each bulletin will be 7777 to indicate the end of the bulletin.

Storm Surge Water Level Bulletin

The following is a detailed explanation of a storm surge water level CREX bulletin. Throughout

the bulletin one or more slashes (///) indicate that a value was not available, each subset (a

report) ends with the terminator (+) and two plus signs (++) indicate the end of a section. A

storm surge water level bulletin contains 6-minute water level values.

SOUS52 KWBC 021542

CREX++

T000101 A001 D06022+

NC040 2003 11 02 15 24 /// 10 00 0006 -06

00075 0043 00076 0041 00078 0041 00080 0040 00082 0040 00083 0039++

7777

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SOUS52 KWBC identifies the WMO region in

which the data was collected. The region specified here is the Atlantic Coast. See Appendix 4

(CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the region identifiers. 021542

specifies the GMT day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this case, the bulletin was

created on day 02, at hour 15, and minute 42.
-34-

The second line of each bulletin indicates the bulletin is of type CREX. On the third line of each

bulletin, T000101 indicates that it is from the CREX master table number 00, using edition 01

and version 01 of that edition. A001 indicates the bulletin contains seas surface information. 

D06022 indicates the bulletin contains water level data.

The fourth and fifth lines of this bulletin are specific to the station for which data is being

reported. One line is station header information and the other line contains the actual data.

These two lines will be repeated for each station for which data exists.

In this station header record, the NWS Station Identifier is NC040 and is the identifier for

Wilmington, North Carolina. 2003 11 02 15 24 (year/month/day/hour/minute) is the initial time

that is to be used to calculate the measurement times for the 6-minute water level values

contained in the bulletin for the given station. If the data is from a Great Lakes station, this time

is local standard time. For all other stations, the time is GMT. //// is the sea surface temperature

in degrees kelvin to tenths, which in this example is not available. 10 00 are the two numeric

flags which indicate the overall quality of the data. The first set of numbers is the automatic flag

and indicates the quality of the data. The second set of numbers is the manual flag and indicates

the quality of the water level gauge. In this example, the 10 indicates that multiple quality

control checks failed for this collection of data and 00 indicates that the gauge is operational.

See Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control Identifiers) for a list of all flags. 0006 indicates the

number of minutes that are to be added to the initial time, referred to earlier, to calculate the

measurement time for the first and most recent 6-minute water level value for the given station.

-06 indicates the time increment between measurements. How to use this information to

determine the time of each measurement is discussed in the next paragraph.

In a storm surge water level bulletin, a data record contains six water level values along with an

associated residual value for each. The values are reported in millimeters. In this example,

00075, 00076, and 00078, 00080, 00082 and 00083 are the water level values. 00043, 00041,

00040, 00040, and 00039 are the associated residual values. To determine the time of each

measurement, start with the time provided in the station header record which in this case is 2003

11 02 15 24. The header record indicates 6 minutes need to be added to 2003 11 02 15 24 to

calculate the measurement time for the first and most recent water level value. Then -6 minutes

are to be applied to determine each succeeding measurement time. This means, in keeping with

the given example:

00075 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:30 GMT

00076 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:24 GMT

00078 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:18 GMT

00080 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:12 GMT

00082 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:06 GMT

00083 was measured at 2003 11 02 15:00 GMT

The last line of each bulletin will be 7777 to indicate the end of the bulletin.
-35-

Storm Surge Ancillary Data Bulletin

The following is a detailed explanation of the storm surge meteorological CREX bulletin.

Throughout the bulletin, one or more slashes (///) indicate that a value was not available, each

subset (a report) ends with the terminator (+) and two plus signs (++) indicate the end of a

section. A storm surge meteorological bulletin contains the first set of 6-minute meteorological

data values reported in the given 18-minute transmission.

SOUS52 KWBC 021622

CREX++

T000101 A001 D06021++

VA020 2003 11 02 16 06 00 00 025 10200 006 ///++

7777

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SOUS52 KWBC identifies the WMO region in

which the data was collected. The region specified here is the Atlantic Coast. See Appendix 4

(CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the region identifiers. 021622

specifies the GMT day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this case, the bulletin was

created on day 02, at hour 16, and minute 22.

The second line of each bulletin indicates the bulletin is of type CREX. On the third line of each

bulletin, T000101 indicates that it is from the CREX master table number 00, using edition 01

and version 01 of that edition. A001 indicates the bulletin contains seas surface information. 

D06021 indicates the bulletin contains meteorological data.

The fourth line of this bulletin is specific to the station for which data is being reported. It

contains both the header information and the actual data. This line will be repeated for each

station for which a set of hourly meteorological values exists. In this record, the NWS Station

Identifier is VA020 and is the identifier for Kiptopeke Beach, Virginia. 2003 11 02 16 06

(year/month/day/hour/minute) is the measurement time that is to be assigned to the set of

meteorological values contained in the bulletin for the given station. If the data is from a Great

Lakes station, this time is local standard time. For all other stations, the time is GMT. 00 00 are

the two numeric flags which indicate the overall quality of the data. The first set of numbers is

the automatic flag and indicates the quality of the data. The second set of numbers is the manual

flag and indicates the quality of the meteorological gauge. In this example, the first set of 00

indicates that the quality of the data is good and the second set of 00 indicates that the gauge is

operational. See Appendix 5 (CREX Quality Control Identifiers) for a list of all flags. The

remaining values in the record are the actual data values. In a set, the first value is Air

Temperature in degrees Celsius (to tenths), the second value is Sea Level Pressure in hPa (to

tenths), the next value is Wind Direction in tens of degrees and the final value is Wind Speed in

m/sec. So for Kiptopeke Beach, Virginia, the following is being reported:

Air Temperature 025 was measured at 2003 11 02 16:06 GMT

Sea Level Pressure 10200 was measured at 2003 11 02 16:06 GMT

Wind Direction 006 was measured at 2003 11 02 16:06 GMT

Wind Speed Not Reported was measured at 2003 11 02 16:06 GMT

The last line of each bulletin will be 7777 to indicate the end of the bulletin.
-36-
-37-

APPENDIX 3

SHEF BULLETIN DESCRIPTIONS

Another format used for the relay of NOS data to NWS is called SHEF (Standard

Hydrometeorological Exchange Format). A formal description of SHEF code is available from

NWS. The following descriptions apply only to the formats being used by CO-OPS for

providing data to NWS.

Routine Water Level Bulletin

The following is a detailed explanation of a routine water level SHEF bulletin. Throughout the

bulletin, a colon (:) indicates a comment line, .E indicates the beginning of a data line for a

station; .E1, .E2, .E3, etc. indicate continuation data lines; and a slash (/) is used to separate

information. A routine water level bulletin contains 6-minute water level values.

SOUS41 KWBC 160809

TIDNT

:SHEF ENCODED 6 MINUTE NOS WATER LEVEL DATA

:NATIONAL WATER LEVEL OBSERVATION NETWORK (NWLON)

:WATER LEVEL VALUES REFERENCED TO MLLW IN FEET

:PROVIDED BY DOC/NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS, (301)713-2806

:Joyce.G.Kinnard@noaa.gov (ext. 146)

.E BHBM3 20040416 Z DH0442/HMIRG/DIN06/ 5.31 / 5.09 / 4.87 / 4.65F / 4.42 

.E1 4.19 / 3.94 / 3.69 / -9999 / 3.23 

.E NTKM3 20040416 Z DH0436/HMIRG/DIN06/ 2.57 / 2.51 / 2.44 / 2.36 / 2.30 

.E1 2.25 / 2.19 / 2.13 / 2.07 / 2.00 

.E NWPR1 20040416 Z DH0400/HMIRG/DIN06/ 0.19 / 0.13 / 0.21 / 0.22 / 0.16 

.E1 0.20 / 0.23 / 0.25 / 0.24 / 0.28 

.E MYPF1 20040416 Z DH0442/HHIRG/DIN06/ -2.90 / -2.90 / -2.90 / -2.89 / -2.86 

.E1 -2.82 / -2.78 / -2.74 / -2.69 / -2.63 

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SOUS41 KWBC identifies the WMO region in

which the data was collected. The region specified here is the North Atlantic. See Appendix 4

(CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the WMO region identifiers. 160809

specifies the GMT day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this case, the bulletin was

created on day 16, at hour 08, and minute 09.

The second line of each bulletin contains the AWIPS ID used by NWS to indicate the geographic

area in which the data was collected. The AWIPS ID (TIDNT) indicates the North Atlantic.

See Appendix 4 (CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the AWIPS region

identifiers.

The lines that begin with a colon (:) are comment lines which explain that the data is water level

data provided by the National Ocean Service.
-38-

The lines following the comment lines are specific to each station for which data is being

reported. The .E line contains the station header information followed by the beginning of the

data. The continuation lines (.E1 - .E3) contain the remainder of the data. These sets of lines

will be repeated for each station for which data exists.

On the first .E line in the above example, BHBM3 is the NWS Station Identifier for Boston,

Massachusetts. Therefore, Boston is the first station within this bulletin for which data is being

provided. 20040416 (year/month/day) is the observation date that is to be associated with the

initial water level value that follows the header information. Z specifies that the data is being

reported in GMT. If the data is from a Great Lakes station, this time is local standard time (CS

for Central Standard or ES for Eastern Standard). For all other stations, the time zone is Z.

DH0442 supplies the required information to determine the observation time that is to be

associated with the initial water level value that follows the header information. The first two

characters (DH) indicate that the time is provided in the hour/minute format. In this case, 04 is

the hour and 42 is the minute and translates to 4:42 a.m.

The next set of characters, HMIRG, explains information about the data and how it is

transmitted. HM designates the transmission of water level data that has been corrected to

MLLW (Mean Lower Low Water). An HH in this position would designate water level data

that has been corrected to MSL (Mean Sea Level). The next character indicates whether the data

is instantaneous or not. Currently, the only value used for observed water levels is I which

indicates the data is instantaneous. The fourth and fifth characters represent whether the data is

as received directly from the gauge or has been computed. All observed water level values will

have either RG to indicate the value is as received from the gauge via GOES or RP to indicate

the value is as received from the gauge via PORTS.

The final set of characters in the header, DIN06, provides the information needed to calculate the

time interval between data measurements. DIN designates a time increment unit of minutes and

06 indicates a time increment of 6. Therefore, in this bulletin, there is a time increment of 6

minutes between each data measurement.

This is the end of the header information for Boston. The remaining values in the .E and .E1

records associated with the given station are the actual water level data values reported in feet.

An F after a water level value means that a parity error occurred during the transmission of that

value and that the value should be considered suspect. A water level value of -9999 indicates

either the value was never received or the received value was flagged during the quality control

process and is not to be reported. 

To determine the date and time of each measurement, start with the date and time provided in the

station header record which in this case is 2004 04 16 04 42. This is the date and time for the

first measurement. Since the header record indicates there is a 6-minute increment between each

data measurement, 6 minutes are to be added to 2004 04 16 04 42 to determine the next

measurement time. Then 6 minutes are to be applied to determine each succeeding measurement

time. So, for Boston, the following water level values are being reported for Boston:

5.31 was measured at 2004 04 16 04:42 GMT

5.09 was measured at 2004 04 16 04:48 GMT

4.87 was measured at 2004 04 16 04:54 GMT

4.65 was measured at 2004 04 16 05:00 GMT (suspect due to parity error)
-39-

4.42 was measured at 2004 04 16 05:06 GMT

4.19 was measured at 2004 04 16 05:12 GMT

3.94 was measured at 2004 04 16 05:18 GMT

3.69 was measured at 2004 04 16 05:24 GMT

Not Reported at 2004 04 16 05:30 GMT

3.23 was measured at 2004 04 16 05:36 GMT

Routine Meteorological Data Bulletin

The following is a detailed explanation of the routine meteorological SHEF bulletin.

Throughout the bulletin, a colon (:) indicates a comment line and a slash (/) is used to separate

information. The bulletin will contain a .A and/or .E records for each station for which data is

being reported. For .E records, there may be continuation lines (.E1 - .E2) if necessary. A

routine meteorological bulletin can contain hourly or 6-minute meteorological values.

SXUS51 KWBC 201359

OSONT

:SHEF ENCODED 6-MINUTE NOS MET DATA

:NATIONAL WATER LEVEL OBSERVATION NETWORK (NWLON)

:TA(AIR TEMP DEG F) SLP(SEA LEVEL PRESSURE INCHES)

:UD(WIND DIRECTION WHOLE DEGREES) US (WIND SPEED MPH)

:TW(WATER TEMP DEG F) UG(WIND GUSTS MPH) WC(CONDUCTIVITY uMHOS/CM)

:-9999 (MISSING VALUES)

:PROVIDED BY DOC/NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS, (301)713-2806

:Joyce.G.Kinnard@noaa.gov (ext.146)

.A FRVM3 20040420 Z DH1348/TAIRP 62/UGIRP -9999/PLIRP 29.96/UDIRP -9999/USIRP

-9999/TWIRP 48/WCIRP 25300

.E SC020 20040420 Z DH1348/TWIRP/DIN06/ 67/ 68/

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SXUS51 KWBC identifies the WMO region in

which the data was collected. The region specified here is the North Atlantic. See Appendix 4

(CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of the WMO region identifiers. 201359

specifies the GMT day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this case, the bulletin was

created on day 20, at hour 13, and minute 59.

The second line of each bulletin contains the AWIPS ID used by NWS to indicate the geographic

area in which the data was collected. The AWIPS ID (OSONT) indicates the North Atlantic.

See Appendix 4 (CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the AWIPS region

identifiers.

The lines that begin with a colon (:) are comment lines which explain that the data is

meteorological data provided by the National Ocean Service.

The lines following the comment lines are specific to each station for which data is being

reported. A .A record is generated for a given station when the station has one or more data
-40-

types on which to report and there is only one data value associated with each data type. A .E

record is generated for a given station whenever a given data type for that station is reporting

more than one value. There can be both .A and .E records for a given station within a single

bulletin. The .A and .E records contain header information and actual data.

On the first data line in the above example, the meteorological data for the given station is

reported using the .A format. Since the .A format is being used, one or more data types may be

provided within this record; however, there is only one data value associated with each data type.

The NWS Station Identifier is FRVM3 which represents Fall River, Massachusetts. 20040420

(year/month/day) is the observation date that is to be associated with the meteorological value(s)

that follow the header information. Z specifies that the data is being reported in GMT. If the

data is from a Great Lakes station, this time is local standard time (CS for Central Standard or

ES for Eastern Standard). For all other stations, the time zone is Z. DH1348 supplies the

required information to determine the observation time that is to be associated with the

meteorological value(s) that follow the header information. The first two characters (DH)

indicate that the time is provided in the hour/minute format. In this case, 13 is the hour and 48 is

the minute and translates to 1:42 p.m. This is the end of the header information for Fall River.

The remaining information is related to the actual meteorological data values being reported for

Fall River. Each data value is preceded by a 5-character set of codes which identifies the data

and specifies data transmission information. The first two characters identify the data.

Currently, the identifiers that can be included in the bulletin are TA for air temperature (in

degrees Fahrenheit), UG for wind gusts (in miles per hour), PL for barometric pressure (sea

level in inches), UD for wind direction (in whole degrees), US for wind speed (in miles per

hour), TW for water temperature (sea surface in degrees Fahrenheit), and WC for water

conductivity (in uMHOS/CM). The last three characters specify data transmission information.

The first of these three characters indicates whether the data is instantaneous or not. Currently,

the only value used for observed meteorological data is I which indicates the data is

instantaneous. The fourth and fifth characters represent whether the data is as received directly

from the gauge or has been computed. All observed meteorological data values will have either

RG to indicate the value is as received from the gauge via GOES or RP to indicate the value is

as received from the gauge via PORTS. Therefore, in keeping with the example, the data being

reported for Fall River is as follows:

Air Temperature 62 was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Wind Gusts Not Reported was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Sea Level Pressure 29.96 was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Wind Direction Not Reported was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Wind Speed Not Reported was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Sea Surface Temp 48 was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Water Conductivity 25300 was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

The meteorological data for the next station is reported using the .E format. Since the .E format

is being used, only one type of data is being provided by this record with several values being

reported for the given data type. The NWS Station Identifier is SC020 for Charleston, South

Carolina. 20040420 (year/month/day) is the observation date that is to be associated with the

initial meteorological value that follows the header information. Z specifies that the data is
-41-

being reported in GMT. DH1348 supplies the required information to determine the observation

time that is to be associated with the initial meteorological value that follows the header

information. The first two characters (DH) indicate that the time is provided in the hour/minute

format. In this case, 13 is the hour and 48 is the minute and translates to 1:42 p.m. This is the

end of the header information for Charleston.

The remaining information is related to the actual meteorological data values being reported for

Charleston. The data is preceded by a 5-character set of codes (TWIRP) which identifies the

type of data that is being provided along with data transmission information about that data.

This set of codes is interpreted in the same manner as described previously for the .A-formatted

records. Therefore, TW indicates that the data values that are to follow represent water

temperature (sea surface in degrees Fahrenheit); I indicates the data values are instantaneous;

and RP indicates the data values are as received directly from the gauge via PORTS. The data is

also preceded by a 5-character set of codes (DIN06) that are needed to calculate the time interval

between the data measurements. DIN is the time interval specifier for minutes and 06 indicates

a time increment of 6. Therefore, in this record, there is a time increment of 6 minutes between

each data measurement. So for Charleston, the data being reported is as follows:

Sea Surface Temp 67 was measured at 2004 04 20 13:48 GMT

Sea Surface Temp 68 was measured at 2004 04 20 13:54 GMT

SHEF Predicted Water Level Data Bulletins

The following is a detailed explanation of a predicated water level SHEF bulletin. Throughout

the bulletin, a colon (:) indicates a comment line, .E indicates the beginning of a data line for a

station; .E1, .E2, .E3, etc. indicate continuation data lines; and a slash (/) is used to separate

information. A predicated water level bulletin contains 96 hourly water level values for each

station being reported.

SOUS64 KWBC 050120

TIDAK

:SHEF ENCODED 1 HOUR NOS WATER LEVEL PREDICTED DATA

:NATIONAL WATER LEVEL OBSERVATION NETWORK (NWLON)

:WATER LEVEL VALUES REFERENCED TO MLLW IN FEET (HMIFZ)

:AND MSL IN FEET (HHIFZ) PROVIDED BY DOC/NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS

.E AK010 20040305 Z DH0000/DC03050000/HMIFZ/DIH1/ 11.58/ 13.85/ 14.80/ 14.20

.E1 12.19/ 9.24/ 6.05/ 3.39/ 1.84/ 1.70/ 2.88/ 5.00/ 7.49/ 9.72

.E1 11.18/ 11.52/ 10.68/ 8.88/ 6.61/ 4.49/ 3.16/ 3.02/ 4.19/ 6.41

.E1 9.18/ 11.85/ 13.79/ 14.55/ 13.92/ 12.01/ 9.23/ 6.19/ 3.56/ 1.88

.E1 1.45/ 2.27/ 4.04/ 6.28/ 8.46/ 10.07/ 10.78/ 10.45/ 9.21/ 7.42

.E1 5.62/ 4.37/ 4.11/ 4.99/ 6.86/ 9.30/ 11.73/ 13.59/ 14.40/ 13.94

.E1 12.23/ 9.59/ 6.55/ 3.73/ 1.72/ 0.89/ 1.34/ 2.86/ 5.06/ 7.41

.E1 9.40/ 10.60/ 10.79/ 9.98/ 8.43/ 6.65/ 5.21/ 4.63/ 5.16/ 6.75

.E1 9.03/ 11.47/ 13.47/ 14.53/ 14.31/ 12.77/ 10.12/ 6.87/ 3.70/ 1.26

.E1 0.05/ 0.25/ 1.74/ 4.12/ 6.84/ 9.32/ 11.02/ 11.58/ 10.94/ 9.33

.E1 7.28/ 5.47
-42-

The first line of each bulletin is a WMO header. SOUS64 KWBC identifies the WMO region

for which water level data is being predicated. The region specified here is the Alaska. See

Appendix 4 (CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the WMO region

identifiers. 050120 specifies the GMT day, hour, and minute the bulletin was created. In this

case, the bulletin was created on day 05, at hour 01, and minute 20.

The second line of each bulletin contains the AWIPS ID used by NWS to indicate the geographic

area for which water level data is being predicted. The AWIPS ID (TIDAK) indicates the

Alaska. See Appendix 4 (CREX and SHEF Geographic Identifiers) for a list of all the AWIPS

region identifiers.

The lines that begin with a colon (:) are comment lines which explain that the data is predicated

water level data provided by the National Ocean Service.

The lines following the comment lines are specific to each station for which data is being

reported. The .E line contains the header information followed by the beginning of the data.

The continuation lines (.E1 - .E3) contain the remainder of the data. These sets of lines will be

repeated for each station for which data exists.

On the first .E line in the above example, AK010 is the NWS Station Identifier for Ketchikan,

Alaska. Therefore, Ketchikan is the first station within this bulletin for which data is being

provided. 20040305 (year/month/day) is the date that is to be associated with the initial

predicted water level value that follows the header information. Z specifies that the data is being

reported in GMT. If the data is from a Great Lakes station, this time is local standard time (CS

for Central Standard or ES for Eastern Standard). For all other stations, the time zone is Z.

DH0000 supplies the required information to determine the time that is to be associated with the

initial predicted water level value that follows the header information. The first two characters

(DH) indicate that the time is provided in the hour/minute format. In this case, 00 is the hour

and 00 is the minute and translates to 00:00 midnight.

The next set of codes (DC03050000) are optional but will generate a nonfatal SHEF error if

omitted. Therefore, NOS has chosen to include this DC field with the same

month/day/hour/minute information contained in 20040305 and DH0000. This information can

be ignored.

The set of characters that follow, HMIFZ, explains information about the data and how it is

transmitted. HM designates the generation of predicted water level data that has been corrected

to MLLW (Mean Lower Low Water). An HH in this position would designate water level data

that has been corrected to MSL (Mean Sea Level). The next character indicates whether the data

is instantaneous or not. Currently, the only value used for predicted water levels is I which

indicates the data is instantaneous. The fourth and fifth characters represent whether the data is

as received directly from the gauge or has been computed. The only value used for predicted

water levels is FZ to indicate the value is computed forecast data.

The final set of characters in the header, DIH1, provides the information needed to calculate the

time interval between data measurements. DIH designates a time increment unit of hours and 1

indicates a time increment of 1. Therefore, in this bulletin, there is a time increment of 1 hour

between each data measurement.
-43-

This is the end of the header information for Ketchikan. The remaining values in the .E and .E1

records associated with the given station are the actual water level data values reported in feet.

To determine the date and time of each measurement, start with the date and time provided in the

station header record which in this case is 2004 03 05 00 00. This is the date and time for the

first measurement. The header record indicates 1 hour is to be added to 2004 03 05 00 00 to

determine the next measurement time with 1 hour to be added to determine each succeeding

measurement time as well. So, for the given example, the following predicated water level

values are being reported for Ketchikan:

11.58 was measured at 2004 03 05 00:00 GMT

13.85 was measured at 2004 03 05 01:00 GMT

14.80 was measured at 2004 03 05 02:00 GMT

14.20 was measured at 2004 03 05 03:00 GMT

12.19 was measured at 2004 03 05 04:00 GMT

.

.

.

11.58 was measured at 2004 03 08 19:00 GMT

10.94 was measured at 2004 03 08 20:00 GMT

9.33 was measured at 2004 03 08 21:00 GMT

7.28 was measured at 2004 03 08 22:00 GMT

5.47 was measured at 2004 03 08 23:00 GMT
-44-
-45-

APPENDIX 4

CREX AND SHEF GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFIERS

CREX Water Level and Meteorological Geographic Identifiers

 AFOS Header WMO Header Geographic Area

NMCTIDATL SOUS52 KWBC Atlantic Coast and Bays

NMCTIDMEX SOUS54 KWBC Gulf of Mexico Coast and Bays, 

Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

NMCTIDPAC SOPA56 KWBC Pacific Coast and Bays

NMCTIDGTL SOUS53 KWBC Great Lakes

NMCTIDAK SOAK58 KWBC Alaskan Coast and Bays

NMCTIDHI SOUS50 KWBC Hawaii and Pacific Basin

SHEF Water Level Geographic Identifiers

 AWIPS Header WMO Header Geographic Area

TIDNT SOUS41 KWBC North Atlantic

TIDGX SOUS42 KWBC Gulf of Mexico

TIDGT SOUS44 KWBC Great Lakes

TIDPZ SOUS43 KWBC Pacific

TIDAK SOUS45 KWBC Alaska

TIDHW SOPA46 KWBC Hawaii
-46-

SHEF Meteorological Geographic Identifiers

 AWIPS Header WMO Header Geographic Area

OSONT SXUS51 KWBC North Atlantic

OSOGX SXUS52 KWBC Gulf of Mexico

OSOGT SXUS54 KWBC Great Lakes

OSOPZ SXUS53 KWBC Pacific

OSOAK SXAK55 KWBC Alaska

OSOHW SXPA56 KWBC Hawaii

SHEF Predicted Water Level Geographic Identifiers

 AWIPS Header WMO Header Geographic Area

TIDNT SOUS61 KWBC North Atlantic

TIDGX SOUS62 KWBC Gulf of Mexico

TIDPZ SOUS63 KWBC Pacific

TIDAK SOUS64 KWBC Alaska

TIDHI SOUS65 KWBC Hawaii
-47-

APPENDIX 5

CREX QUALITY CONTROL IDENTIFIERS

CREX Automated Water Level Quality Control Flags

ALPHA

CODE

NUMERIC

CODE

MEANING

G 00 Good data

H 01 Maximum (high) water level limit exceeded

L 02 Minimum (low) water level limit exceeded

R 03 Rate-of-change limit for water level exceeded

F 04 Flat limit for water level exceeded

P 05 Observed water level minus predicted water level value limit exceeded

B 06 Observed primary water level value minus backup water level value

limit exceeded

E 07

Q 08 Water level QA parameter (sigmas and/or outliers) limits exceeded

S 09 Sea temperature outside of expected range

M 10 Multiple QC checks listed above failed

CREX Manual Water Level Quality Control Flags

ALPHA

CODE

NUMERIC

CODE

MEANING

O 00 Operational

C 01 Possible clogging problem or otherwise degraded water level data

D 02 Possible datum shift

U 03 Unknown status of water level sensor

S 04 Suspected or known sea temperature sensor problem

M 05 Multiple possible problem listed above

X 06 Bad data - DO NOT DISSEMINATE!
-48-

CREX Automated Meteorological Quality Control Flags

ALPHA

CODE

NUMERIC

CODE

MEANING

G 00 Good data from all sensors

D 01 Wind direction outside of allowable range

S 02 Wind speed outside of expected range

P 03 Barometric pressure outside of expected range

A 04

M 05 Multiple sensors failed QC checks

CREX Manual Meteorological Quality Control Flags

ALPHA

CODE

NUMERIC

CODE

MEANING

O 00 Operational

W 01 Suspected or known problem with wind sensor

P 02 Suspected or known problem with barometric pressure sensor

A 03 Suspected or known problem with air temperature sensor

U 04 Unknown status of all sensors

M 05 Suspected or known problems with multiple sensors

X 06 Bad data - DO NOT DISSEMINATE!