NOUS41 KWBC 191914
PNSWSH	

SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 05-36
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
315 PM EDT MON SEP 19 2005

TO:   		FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA 		
		WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY 
		MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/
		SUBSCRIBERS...NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER
		NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS AND 
		PARTNERS...NWS EMPLOYEES
 
FROM:		THERESE Z. PIERCE
		CHIEF...MARINE AND COASTAL SERVICES BRANCH

SUBJECT:	IMPLEMENTING IMPROVED MARINE ZONE COVERAGE
		ACROSS COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY...TX TO
		THE MOUTH OF THE RIO GRANDE...TX: EFFECTIVE 
		JANUARY 11 2006  

EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY...JANUARY 11 2006 AT 0930 CENTRAL STANDARD 
TIME /CST/...1530 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/...MARINE 
FORECASTS ISSUED BY THE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE /WFO/ IN 
BROWNSVILLE... TX WILL BE IMPROVED TO ACCOUNT FOR CLIMATOLOGY 
AND GEOGRAPHY. THIS CHANGE INVOLVES THE FOLLOWING IMPROVEMENTS.  

CURRENTLY MARINE ZONE GMZ130 EXTENDS FROM THE RIO GRANDE RIVER 
TO BAFFIN BAY... TX...ALSO KNOWN AS THE LAGUNA MADRE. THE 
PROPOSED CHANGE WILL SPLIT MARINE ZONE GMZ130 INTO THREE NEW 
INDIVIDUAL MARINE ZONES REPLACING GMZ130. THE SPLITS WILL OCCUR 
AT THE COUNTY LINES OF KENEDY...WILLACY...AND CAMERON COUNTIES 
OF THE LAGUNA MADRE.    

THE MARINE ZONE GMZ130 WILL BECOME A NEW MARINE ZONE FROM THE 
PORT OF BROWNSVILLE... TX TO THE ARROYO COLORADO. A NEW MARINE 
ZONE /GMZ132/ WILL EXTEND FROM THE ARROYO COLORADO TO THE 
BOUNDARY BETWEEN WILLACY AND KENEDY COUNTIES. MARINE ZONE GMZ132 
WILL PROVIDE MARINE WEATHER SERVICES FOR THE LAGUNA MADRE IN 
WILLACY COUNTY. A THIRD MARINE ZONE /GMZ135/ WILL EXTEND FROM 
THE KENEDY AND WILLACY COUNTY LINE TO BAFFIN BAY TX.  MARINE 
ZONE GMZ135 WILL PROVIDE MARINE WEATHER SERVICES FOR THE LAGUNA 
MADRE IN KENEDY COUNTY.  THESE NEW MARINE ZONES ARE LISTED IN 
TABLE 1. THE NWS IS NOT CHANGING THE MARINE ZONE NAME OR UGC FOR 
GMZ150/GMZ155/GMZ170/GMZ175/.
 
BECAUSE OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS...CUSTOMERS MUST TAKE APPROPRIATE 
ACTION TO RECEIVE ALL PRODUCTS THAT USE UGC ZONE /Z/ CODE.  SEE 
TABLE 2 FOR PRODUCTS AFFECTED BY THIS CHANGE.  

TABLE 1: MARINE ZONE IMPROVEMENT FOR WFO BROWNSVILLE MARINE 
FORECAST AREA. UGC /Z/ CODES ARE SHOWN IN TABLE 1.

ZONE	     					UGC ZONE /Z/	
LAGUNA MADRE FROM THE PORT OF 	        GMZ130
BROWNSVILLE TO THE ARROYO 
COLORADO.

LAGUNA MADRE FROM THE ARROYO 		GMZ132 /NEW UGC/
COLORADO TO 5 NM NORTH OF PORT 
MANSFIELD TX.		 
									
LAGUNA MADRE FROM 5 NM NORTH OF 	GMZ135 /NEW UGC/
PORT MANSFIELD TO BAFFIN BAY TX.
	 
COASTAL WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD	GMZ150 
TO RIO GRANDE RIVER TX OUT 20 NM

COASTAL WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO	GMZ155 
PORT MANSFIELD TX OUT 20 NM
 
WATERS FROM BAFFIN BAY TO PORT		GMZ175 
MANSFIELD TX EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 
60 NM

WATERS FROM PORT MANSFIELD TO		GMZ170
RIO GRANDE TX EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 
60 NM

TABLE 2. WFO BROWNSVILLE PRODUCTS THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE 
GMZ130 GMZ132 AND GMZ135 MARINE ZONE BOUNDARY CHANGE. 
 
PRODUCT NAME                    WMO HEADING   AWIPS ID
 
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST        FZUS54 KBRO    CWFBRO
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING         WHUS54 KBRO    SMWBRO
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT       FZUS74 KBRO    MWSBRO

AN UPDATED ZONE MAP SHAPEFILE CONTAINING THE NEW BOUNDARY FOR 
THE NEW AND CHANGED MARINE ZONES IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM 
THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/GEODATA/CATALOG/WSOM/HTML/MARINEZONES.HTM

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS...PLEASE CONTACT:

ANDREW PATRICK	                MELINDA HINOJOSA
METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE       	PUBLIC/MARINE METEOROLOGIST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE      	NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
20 SOUTH VERMILLION RD 		SOUTHERN REGION HEADQUARTERS
BROWNSVILLE TX  78521	  	819 TAYLOR ST RM 10A11
956-504-1432		        	FORT WORTH TX 76102
                              	817-978-1100 X107
                                          
THIS AND ALL OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE POSTED AT /USE 
LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

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