Track Hurricane JOAQUIN using NOAA's nowCOAST - a Web Mapping Portal to Real-Time Coastal Observations, Forecasts, and Warnings

With Hurricane Joaquin approaching the eastern coast of the United States, anyone looking for reliable NOAA weather mapping services can use the recently launched updated version of NOAA/National Ocean Service’s nowCOAST, a GIS-based web mapping portal. nowCOAST  has provided the coastal community for the past 12 years with a  centralized site to display and obtain maps of near-real-time  oceanographic and weather observations, analyses, imagery, model  forecast guidance, forecasts, and warnings as well as hyperlinks to  thousands of observing sites, point forecasts and forecast discussions  from across NOAA.

nowCOAST has been migrated to use newer web mapping software and an open  source database.  The new nowCOAST version provides users with both  time-enabled ArcGIS Server Representative State Transfer (REST) map  services and time-enabled OGC Web Map Services (WMS).   nowCOAST's new  map viewer utilizes the time-enabled REST services, allowing users to  display and animate observational data for the past few hours and  forecasts and model guidance for several days into the future. Also,  a few new map layers (e.g. forecast guidance from additional  NOS oceanographic forecast modeling systems, near-real-time lightning  strike density) have been added or expanded in temporal resolution  and/or time extent in response to users' requests over the years.

nowCOAST offers over 60 mapping services that can be accessed at  http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/help/#!section=mapservices

In addition, the new nowCOAST has been moved into the NWS Integrated  Dissemination Program (IDP) 24 x 7 high availability GIS hosting facility, operated by  NWS/NCEP Central Operations. This will provide operational high reliability of  nowCOAST 's map services and map viewer for its users and partners.

Visit nowCOAST at http://nowcoast.noaa.gov/