Tampa Bay Operational Forecast System (TBOFS)

Water Level

Wind

Water Temperature

Salinity

Currents

(Please click on the categories below to access animated map plots)

Nowcast

Forecast Guidance

For decades, mariners in the United States have depended on NOAA's Tide Tables for the best estimate of expected water levels. These tables provide accurate predictions of the astronomical tide (i.e., the change in water level due to the gravitational effects of the moon and sun and the rotation of the Earth); however, they cannot predict water-level changes due to wind, atmospheric pressure, and river flow, which are often significant.

A Tampa Bay Operational Forecast System (TBOFS) has been developed to serve the maritime user community. TBOFS was developed in a joint project of the NOAA/National Ocean Service (NOS)/Office of Coast Survey, the NOAA/NOS/Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), and the NOAA/National Weather Service (NWS)/National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Central Operations (NCO) using Rutgers University's Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). TBOFS generates water level, current, temperature and salinity nowcast and forecast guidance four times per day. Aerial animations of the whole Tampa Bay as well as time series at particular stations or points of interest are available for 20 locations for the five parameters (water level, currents, temperature, and/or salinity).

TBOFS runs on NOAA's High Performance Computers (HPC) in a new Coastal Ocean Modeling Framework (COMF) developed by CO-OPS. As a result, TBOFS has direct access to NWS operational meteorological products that it needs to run reliably.

TBOFS is based on a three-dimensional, high resolution model and with the added reliability of running at NOAA's HPC, TBOFS will assist U.S. port authorities and mariners in efficiently navigating the Tampa Bay without compromising safety.