Marine Publications

National Weather Service Marine Forecasts

Publications

Marine Service Charts (MSC) - $1.25¹

Marine Service Charts (MSC) list frequencies, schedules and locations of stations disseminating NWS products. They also contain additional weather information of interest to the mariner. Charts are also available via the Internet as listed below.

Both sides of the charts are available, both in GIF and PDF formats. The front side of the charts shows the map and the back side shows the text that accompanies the chart. PDF format is helpful if you need to zoom in on a specific area of the chart. To view the PDF formats of the charts, you must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer.

Click here to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Location Number GIF Format PDF Format

Eastport, ME to Montauk Point, NY MSC-1 Front Back Front Back

Montauk Point, NY to Manasquan, NJ MSC-2 Front Back Front Back

Manasquan, NJ to Cape Hatteras, NC MSC-3 Front Back Front Back

Cape Hatteras, NC to Savannah, GA MSC-4 Front Back Front Back

Savannah, GA to Apalachicola, FL MSC-5 Front Back Front Back

Apalachicola, FL to Morgan City, LA MSC-6 Front Back Front Back

Morgan City, LA to Brownsville, TX MSC-7 Front Back Front Back

Mexican Border to Point Conception, CA MSC-8 Front Back Front Back

Point Conception, CA to Point St George, CA MSC-9 Front Back Front Back

Point St George, CA to Canadian Border MSC-10 Front Back Front Back

Great Lakes MSC-11/12 Front Back Front Back

Hawaiian Waters MSC-13 Front Back Front Back

Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands MSC-14 Front Back Front Back

Alaskan Waters MSC-15 Front Back Front Back

Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands MSC-16 Front Back Front Back

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF VALUE TO THE MARINER

NOAA PUBLICATIONS
Mariner's Weather Log Magazine - $19.00/3 issues/yr ($26.60 foreign)³
Selected Marine Worldwide Weather Broadcasts (9/92)⁵
Voluntary Observing Ship Program Brochure (1999) Free⁶
NWS Observing Handbook NO.1 (7/04) Free ⁶
Marine Report User Guide
Worldwide Marine Radiofacsimile Broadcast Schedules (Jun 16, 2008) Free⁴
NOAA Weather Radio Brochure (NOAA/PA 94070, 3/97) Free²
NOAA Weather Radio Handout (NOAA/PA 94061, 3/97) Free²
A Mariners Guide to Marine Weather Services - Great Lakes (NOAA/PA 98053) Free²
A Mariners Guide to Marine Weather Services - Coastal, Offshore, and High Seas (NOAA/PA 98054) Free²
Safe Boating Weather Tips (NOAA/PA 94058, 6/98) Free²
National Ocean Service Coast Pilot, Volumes 1-9¹
Directory of Private Weather Services - Free¹⁰
Lightning & Boats (NOAA/Sea Grant NCU-G-95-004)
Mariners Guide for Hurricane Awareness in the North Atlantic Basin (large file 2.3 MB PDF format)

NGA PUBLICATIONS
NGA Publication 117 "Radio Navigational Aids" (2005)...Includes CD ¹³
American Practical Navigator (Bowdich) Publication 9 (2002) - ¹³
Pilot Chart Atlas, 5 areas ¹³
Sailing Directions, 42 volumes¹³
U.S. Notices to Mariners¹⁴
U.S. Notices to Mariners #1, Special Notice to Mariners Paragraphs ¹⁴

U.S. COAST GUARD PUBLICATIONS
The Future in Marine Radio Communications - GMDSS (1998) Free⁹

NAVY PUBLICATIONS
U.S. NAVY Hurricane Havens/Heavy Weather Handbooks

Non-U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
Canadian Coast Guard Radio Aids to Navigation - $18.95 Cdn
The British Admiralty List of Radio Signals⁸

Volume 1 Coast Radio Stations (2 parts)

Volume 2 Radio Navigational Aids, Satellite Navigation Systems, Legal Time,
Radio Time Signals & Electronic Fixing Systems

Volume 3 Maritime Safety Information Services (2 Parts)

Volume 4 Meteorological Observation Stations

Volume 5 Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems

Volume 6 Pilot Services, Vessel Traffic Services & Port Operations (5 parts)

INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS
TSUNAMI The Great Waves - Free ¹¹
The SafetyNET Users Handbook - Free
International SafetyNET Manual, 1994; IMO-908E¹²
NAVTEX Manual, 1994; IMO-951E¹²
GMDSS Handbook, 1995 (Includes GMDSS Master Plan); IMO-970E¹²
SOLAS Consolidated Edition, 1997; IMO-110E¹²
World Meteorological Organization Publication 9 - Weather Reporting ¹⁵
Volume A - Observing Stations

Volume C1 - Meteorological Bulletins

Volume C2 - Transmission Programmes (Incluides broadcast information)

Volume D - Information for Shipping (Incluides broadcast information)

1. FAA, National Aeronautical Charting Office
    Distribution Division, AJW-3550
    10201 Good Luck Road
    Glenn Dale, Maryland 20769
    (301) 436-8301
    (800) 638-8972 toll free, U.S. only
    (301) 436-6829 FAX
    Email: 9-AMC-chartsales@faa.gov
    http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov
    or your local chart agent: http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov/nsd/states.html
2. Available Internet: Via http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/index.html
    Or from your local National Weather Service Forecast Office.
3. Superintendent of Documents
    P.O. Box 371954
    Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
    (202) 512-1800 (7:30am-4:30pm EST)
    (202) 512-2250 FAX
    http://www.gpo.gov
    http://www.vos.noaa.gov/mwl.shtml
    (Distributed free to ships in VOS program)
    Click here for the GPO printed order form
    Click here for the GPO online order form
4. (Printed version available only to ships participating in U.S. VOS program)
    web version http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf
    National Weather Service
    Voluntary Observing Ship Technical Lead
    Robert "Luke" Luke
    NDBC Bldg #1100
    Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
    (228) 688-1457
    (228) 688-3153 (fax)
    robert.luke@noaa.gov
    http://www.vos.noaa.gov
5. Joint Publication of National Weather Service and Naval Oceanography Command
    Out of date, no longer produced
    Marine Communications Program Manager, W/OS21
    National Weather Service, NOAA
    1325 East-West Highway
    Silver Spring, MD 20910
    (301)-713-1677 x128
    (301)-713-1598
    http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/marine/feedback.htm
6. (Some publications available only to ships participating in U.S. VOS program)
    National Weather Service
    Voluntary Observing Ship Technical Lead
    Robert "Luke" Luke
    NDBC Bldg #1100
    Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
    (228) 688-1457
    (228) 688-3153 (FAX)
    robert.luke@noaa.gov
    http://www.vos.noaa.gov
8. UK Hydrographic Office
    Admiralty Way, Tauton, Somerset
    TA1 2DNm United Kingdom
    +44(0) 1823 337900 x3333
    +44(0) 1823 323753 FAX
    info@hydro.gov.uk
   http://www.ukho.gov.uk
    http://www.ukho.gov.uk/amd/distributorsList.asp (Distributors)
9. Commandant (G-SCT)
    U.S. Coast Guard
    2100 Second Street S.W.
    Washington, D.C. 20593
    (202)-267-2860
    (202)-267-4106 (FAX)
    cgcomms@comdt.uscg.mil
    http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/#Brochure
    http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/default.htm

10. National Weather Service
       Industrial Meteorology Staff
       1325 East-West Highway
       Silver Spring, MD 20910
       (301)-713-0258
       (301)-713-0610
       nws.im@noaa.gov
       http://www.nws.noaa.gov/im/
11. International Tsunami Information Center
        737 Bishop St. Suite 2200
        Honolulu, HI 96813-3213
        808-532-6422
        808-532-5576 (FAX)
        itic@itic.noaa.gov
        http://www.prh.noaa.gov/itic/
12. International Maritime Organization (IMO)
        4 Albert Embankment
        London SE1 7SR UK
        +44 207 7357611
        +44 207 5873210 FAX (general enquiries)
        +44 207 5873241 FAX (publication sales)
        Telex: 23588
        info@imo.org
        http://www.imo.org
13. Superintendent of Documents
    P.O. Box 371954
    Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
    (202) 512-1800 (7:30am-4:30pm EST)
    (202) 512-2250 FAX
    http://bookstore.gpo.gov

14. Since 2004, no longer printed by U.S. Government
15. American Meteorological Society
    Attn: WMO Publications Center
    45 Beacon Street
    Boston, MA 02108 USA
    1-617-227-2425 Fax: 1-617-742-8718
    wmopubs@ametsoc.org
    http://www.wmo.ch/web/catalogue/

Marine Service Charts (MSC) - $1.251

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF VALUE TO THE MARINER

Marine Service Charts (MSC) - $1.25¹