NAVTEX decode table

Environment Canada issues NAVTEX compatible forecast bulletins as part of its marine weather products for select marine areas in the Pacific, Arctic, Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, Gulf of St. Lawrence and Atlantic regions.

Time / Date
Sub-Areas
Cardinal Direction
Forecast Parameters
Wind
Precipitation
Visibility
Freezing Spray
Technical Synopsis - Trend
Technical Synopsis - Systems
Technical Synopsis - Position
Technical Synopsis - Canada
Cardinal Direction in Synopsis
Waves
Ice - General
Ice Type
Ice Concentration
Ice Terms
Ice Direction


Time / Date

Term Abbreviation
April APR
August AUG
December DEC
February FEB
Friday FRI
January JAN
July JUL
June JUN
March MAR
May MAY
Monday MON
November NOV
October OCT
Saturday SAT
September SEP
Sunday SUN
Thursday THU
today TDY
tonight TNGHT
Tuesday TUE
Wednesday WED
Term Abbreviation
- eastern half -E
- northeastern half -NE
- northern half -N
- northwestern half -NW
- southeastern half -SE
- southern half -S
- southwestern half -SW
- western half -W
Term Abbreviation
east E
north N
northeast NE
northwest NW
south S
southeast SE
southwest SW
west W
Term Abbreviation
corrected COR
except XCPT
implies IMPL
indicated IND
knots KT
and locally LCLY
meters M
millibar MB
nautical mile NM
unless UNL
valid VLD

 

Wind

Term Abbreviation
light LGT
variable VRB
warning WNG
wind WND
with gusts to G
Term Abbreviation
drizzle DZ
flurries LGT-SN
freezing drizzle FRZ-DZ
freezing rain FRZ-RA
hail HL
heavy rain HVY-RA
heavy snow HVY-SN
heavy thunderstorm STRG-TS
ice pellets IP
in precipitation IN-PRECIP
light snow LGT-SN
rain RA
rain and snow mixed MIX-RASN
scattered SCT
showers SHWRS
snow SN
thunderstorm TSTM
waterspout WTSPT
Term Abbreviation
above 1 ABV 1
as low as 1 mile NR 1
at times OCNL
blizzard BZ
blowing snow BS
fog FG
fog banks PTH-FG
heavy HVY
ice fog IFG
mist MST
mist patches PTH-MIST
near zero NR 0
occasional OCNL
one mile or less 0-1
sea smoke SEA SMOKE
visibility VIS
Term Abbreviation
at times OCNL
freezing spray FRZ-SPR
moderate MOD
outside the ice edge OUT-EDGE
over open water OVR-OW
risk RSK
severe SEV
Term Abbreviation
approaching APCHG
building BLDN
dissipating DISS
deepening DPN
departing DPRTG
intensifying INTSF
merging MERG
quasi-stationary Q-STNR
splitting SPLIT
weakening WKN
Term Abbreviation
col COL
cold front C-FRONT
disturbance DISTURB
flat low FLAT LOW
frontal system FRONT
high HIGH
hurricane HURR
low LOW
post tropical storm POST-TROP-STRM
ridge RIDGE
storm STRM
tropical depression TROP-DEP
tropical storm TROP-STRM
trough TROUGH
warm front W-FRONT
Term Abbreviation
cape CAP
coastal CSTL
extending EXTDG
from FM
island IS
lake LK
latitude LAT
located (cardinal) (CARDINAL)
located (xx miles) (XX MILES)
located at AT
located from FM
located near NR
located off OFF
located on a line ON LINE
located over OVR
longitude LONG
near NR
over OVR
peninsula PEN
river RIV
strait STR
Term Abbreviation
Alberta ALTA
British Columbia BC
Great lakes GRT LKS
Gulf of St. Lawrence GU ST LAW
Labrador LAB
Manitoba MAN
New Brunswick NB
Newfoundland NFLD
Newfoundland and Labrador NL
Northwest Territories NWT
Nova Scotia NS
Nunavut NU
Ontario ONT
Pacific PAC
Prince Edward Island PEI
Quebec QUE
Saskatchewan SASK
Yukon Territory YT
Term Abbreviation
central
CENTRAL
east E
east - west E-W
eastern ERN
north N
north - south N-S
northeast NE
northeastern NERN
northeast-southwest NE-SW
northern NRN
northwest NW
northwestern NWRN
northwest-southeast NW-SE
south S
southeast SE
southeastern SERN
southern SRN
southwest SW
southwestern SWRN
west W
western WRN

 

Waves

Term Abbreviation
ice covered ICE
Term Abbreviation
conditions CDNS
edge EDGE
estimated EST
except XCPT
ice ICE
including INCL
possible POSS
Term Abbreviation
first-year ice FYI
grey ice GI
grey-white ice GWI
medium lake ice MEDI
new ice NI
old ice OI
thick lake ice TKI
thin lake ice THI
very thick lake ice VTKI
second-year ice SYI
multi-year ice MYI
new lake ice NI
Term Abbreviation
1 tenth 1
10 tenths 10
2 tenths 2
3 tenths 3
4 tenths 4
5 tenths 5
6 tenths 6
7 tenths 7
8 tenths 8
9 plus tenths 9+
9 tenths 9
9 to 10 tenths (lake ice) 9-10
bergy water BW
consolidated CONS
ice free IF
open water OW
trace of TR-
Term Abbreviation
light LGT
moderate MOD
pressure PRESS
strong STRG
Term Abbreviation
along the coast ALNG CST
eastward EWD
northeastward NEWD
northward NWD
northwestward NWWD
southeastward SEWD
southward SWD
southwestward SWWD
westward WWD

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