Ocean Circulation Lab
USF College of Marine Science


West Florida Coastal Ocean Model (WFCOM) Nowcast/Forecast System

Water Level Veracity Test & Forecast Guidance

(Use the map pins or list of stations below to access movies at different stations)



The West Florida Coastal Ocean Model (WFCOM) is an application of unstructured grid model FVCOM in the coastal region of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. It downscales from the deep ocean, across the continental shelf and into Tampa Bay by nesting within the Global HYCOM with added tides. It is set to be an automated coastal ocean circulation nowcast/forecast system that updates each day providing 1-day hindcast and a 3.5-day forecast.

Click on one of the tide gauge stations to see the movie showing the comparison of WFCOM simulated and tide gauge observed water level time series. The model/data comparisons at different stations are also shown as static plots.

  • Freshwater Canal Locks
  • Eugene Island
  • Grand Isle
  • Pilots Station East
  • Pascagoula NOAA Lab
  • Dauphin Island
  • Pensacola
  • Panama City Beach
  • Apalachicola
  • Shell Point
  • Cedar Key
  • Aripeka
  • Fred Howard Park
  • Clearwater Beach
  • St. Petersburg
  • Old Port Tampa
  • East Bay
  • Port Manatee
  • Fort Myers
  • Naples
  • Key West
  • Vaca Key
  • Virginia Key

    • To see the maps of WFCOM simulated currents and sea level and their animations, please click this webpage for more details.


    Disclaimer: The analyses/data are research products under development. No warranty is made, expressed or implied, regarding accuracy, or regarding the suitability for any particular application. All rights reserved: University of South Florida, College of Marine Science - Ocean Circulation Lab. Copyright, 2023.