Mariners Weather Log

ISSN 0025-3367

U.S. Department of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary

VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr. (USN-Ret.)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

National Weather Service
Dr. John "Jack" L. Hayes
NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services


Editorial Supervisor
Robert A. Luke

Layout and Design
Crace R. Alexander
Stuart Hayes

 

Welcome to another installment of the Mariners Weather Log (MWL). I hope that this issue finds you healthy and safe as you hurry about on your last minute holiday errands. I do have to make a formal apology to a dear friend and longtime supporter of the MWL. Mr. Ian Hunter, from the South African Weather Service. Ian graciously shared a great article about a cut-off low off the east coast of South Africa in our last issue and I failed to tell everyone who the author was. My humblest apologies friend. So, please go back to the August issue and re-read Ian’s fine effort in documenting this interesting phenomena.

In this issue, we continue to celebrate the 200th anniversary of NOAA by highlighting the history of the numerical weather prediction process. It definitely takes more than sticking your hand out the window to develop a forecast and the folks at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction have been working hard for many years just to keep us all safe – thank you one and all! We have a new Port Meteorological Officer (PMO) in the San Francisco bay area now, so please let us all welcome Mr. Daniel Curtis to the VOS family, and if you visit any of the nearby ports in the bay area, give Dan a shout so he can formerly introduce himself to y’all.

Also in this issue, we have our standard diamond submissions from Skip Gilham’s shipwrecks to George Bancroft’s analytical expertise in the Marine Reviews. The MWL also welcomes a new author to our crew. Mr. Anthony Artusa has volunteered to continue the Circulation and Climate Anomaly Review since the retirement of Jim Wagner.

Once again, I hope you enjoy this offering of the MWL and have a joyous holiday season and prosperous New Year.

Regards —Luke

Some Important Web Page Addresses

NOAA	http://www.noaa.gov
National Weather Service	http://www.weather.gov
National Data Buoy Center	http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov
AMVER Program	http://www.amver.com
VOS Program	http://www.vos.noaa.gov
SEAS Program	http://seas.amverseas.noaa.gov/seas/seasmain.html
Mariners Weather Log	http://www.vos.noaa.gov/mwl.shtml
Marine Dissemination	http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center	http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms