Real-time water and weather information from NOAA available for the Lower Mississippi River

A newly installed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ocean observing system on the Lower Mississippi River will enable industry and private users to receive free real-time information on water and weather conditions at any time.  

The NOAA Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System provides observations of tides, currents, water and air temperature, barometric pressure, winds and bridge clearance. Collected from a variety of sensors in and around the port, the data is available at no charge on the Internet at http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ports.html and by phone at 888-817-7767.

The system, administered by the NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, can significantly reduce the risk of vessel groundings and increase the amount of cargo moved through the port by enabling mariners to safely utilize dredged channel depths. The system also allows large ships to time arrivals and departures more efficiently.

“Real-time tidal, weather and air clearance data at the touch of a button was an important resource missing from our current navigation technology,” said A.J. Gibbs, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans and president of the Crescent River Port Pilots’ Association. “The availability of this data to augment the pilots’ critical local knowledge of the river will certainly enhance safety and efficiency for the entire maritime community.”

The Lower Mississippi River system brings the number of these systems in operation around the nation to 20. Estimates of economic benefits attributed to the system range from $7 million per year for Tampa Bay to $16 million per year for Houston-Galveston, according to studies conducted in those regions.

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