Weather Forecast

Accurate, reliable and customisable marine weather forecasts.

MetOcean Solutions’ in-house state-of-the-art oceanographic and atmospheric forecast models provide detailed, reliable weather information for anywhere.

Our customised models allow us to accurately forecast conditions at scales ranging from global to hyper-local (e.g. a berth within a port). Our team of expert scientists have years of experience providing offshore and coastal forecasts for locations all over the world. Products include customised vessel route and vessel motion forecasts, as well as trajectory forecasts for use in search and rescue or pollutant spill operations.

The MetOcean Solutions Forecast System

Built on a suite of sophisticated oceanographic and atmospheric forecast models, most guidance is run in-house allowing increased resolution, nesting and ensemble forecasting to be implemented as required.

The result is a robust global service that can be rapidly customised to suit individual offshore project requirements. Automated forecast updates are provided 4 times daily and delivered via email, API, FTP or the MOV website. Guidance is presented as maps, table and graphs over the 7-14 day forecast horizon.

Data resolution

Data resolution of metocean weather forecasts can be customised to the most appropriate spatial scale for your application.

Hourly data

Hourly data available out to a 7-day horizon with additional long range guidance available. Metocean forecast data is updated four times daily.

Web login

Simple browser based web login allows your entire operational team to access crucial information from anywhere on any device.

Real-time observations

Real-time observations are available thorugh our MetOceanView platform as well as full access to ensemble data.

Derived products

Forecast data can be related to specific operational issues providing simpler, impact based, decision making information.

User defined hazard alerts

Set customised hazard alerts based on your personal specifications and set forecast reports to be sent directly to you via email.

Try MetOceanView

Standard MetOceanView services include:

Forecast parameters on scalable maps
Satellite imagery
Integration of measured real time data
Historical data download
User specified hazard levels
Waves, winds and currents
Rain, visibility, thunderstorm
Tidal prediction interface
Vessel motion and kinematics
Ensembles and skewT plots
Oil spill trajectory prediction tools
User-defined workability
Wave spectra plots with download function.

News & case studies

Featured

Over two million data points every day

Every day, the MetOceanView service ingests and serves up to our clients more than 2 million unique data points. These are modelled and observed data providing vital marine and atmospheric weather information to users.

Storm Surge Forecasting during Cyclone Gabrielle

This week, Cyclone Gabrielle brought significant heavy rain and strong winds that, combined with energetic ocean swells, caused significant storm surges to New Zealand. Surges occurred along the northern and eastern coasts of the North Island as well as parts of the South Island, as the system moved away to the east. Storm surge is the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides. These surges, caused by the wind, waves and atmospheric pressure changes associated with a storm, exacerbate the effect of waves on coastal areas.

Operational storm surge forecast

Unprecedented flooding of low-lying sections of New Zealand's largest cities occurred over the past weekend, severely disrupting the nation's public transportation system and forcing the shutdown of the country's international and domestic airports.

Get ready for summer with SwellMap!

To help people understand the risks associated with beaches and coastal areas around New Zealand, we've released Ocean Fishing and Shoreline hazard forecasts for Rips, Rock fishing and Stand Up paddleboarding.

First publicly available Storm Surge forecast for Aotearoa - New Zealand

Storm surge is a critical component of coastal flooding and significant portions of NZ’s population and infrastructure are threatened by this weather hazard. A storm surge is an extreme event where low pressure systems (storms) combine with a high tides to cause coastal flooding. MetService, the University of Waikato, the University of Cantabria and Calypso Science collaborated under an MBIE Smart Ideas fund to develop innovative methods for the prediction of coastal storm-surge, applying state-of-the-art machine-learning techniques.

Operational wave forecast model upgrade

To ensure the highest possible performance at MetOcean Solutions, we continuously improve our models to match state-of-the-art science. Our science team is currently working on implementing the Spherical Multiple-Cell (SMC) grid in the global wave model WAVEWATCH III. SMC grids are unstructured, supporting flexible domain shapes and variable resolutions.

High resolution atmospheric forecast and hindcast models for wind energy in New Zealand

To support the New Zealand government’s net zero target, the decarbonisation of the energy sector is becoming a priority.

Last week, MetOcean Senior Physical Oceanographer Dr Severin Thiebaut and MetService Research Scientist Dr Ulrich Ebling, attended with great interest the 2022 NZ Wind Energy Conference and Offshore Wind Workshop in Wellington.

Drifting Wave Buoy Rides the Waves of Cyclone DOVI

A MetOcean wave buoy drifting in the Tasman Sea found itself close to the center of the ex-tropical cyclone Dovi, as it moved across New Zealand on Sunday the 13th of February 2022. The wave buoy measured significant wave heights (Hs) of 7.5 meters at the highest.

Tropical Cyclone Cody to bring large waves and potentially dangerous ocean conditions to New Zealand's coast

A new tropical cyclone that has been developing in the South Pacific Ocean is now officially named Tropical Cyclone Cody. While the centre of the ex-tropical cyclone is currently forecast to track to the northeast of New Zealand, significant wave height along the northeast coast of New Zealand is expected to build rapidly from Friday the 14th and through the coming weekend.

New SwellMap and WeatherMap released

The new SwellMap and WeatherMap websites have gone live! SwellMap is one of New Zealand’s most extensive and dedicated marine forecasting websites and was the country’s first marine forecast site dedicated to recreational users.