This paper describes the National Weather Service component of the NOAA Coastal Storms Initiative (CSI). The goal of CSI is to reduce adverse impacts of storms in our Nation's coastal areas by providing local decision makers and other end users with improved, timely, and readily accessible data and information, warnings and forecasts, decision-assistance tools, and training regarding approaching coastal storms, their anticipated impacts, and possible mitigating actions.

In 2002, the first phase of the CSI was deployed in the St. Johns River region of Florida. This deployment included nine integrated projects with contributions from and interaction across NOAA. The National Weather Service (NWS) is leading two projects to expand marine and coastal observations and to improve forecasts and warnings of winds, waves, and other marine hazards. In 2002, the observational project was highlighted by the deployment of a new offshore buoy of Jacksonville, FL. This new observation fills a here-to-fore data void and is now improving marine forecast accuracy in the region. In out-years, this project will expand to include the deployment of coastal profilers and the development of buoy-mounted profilers. Data from these observations will greatly help forecasters and also support the second NWS CSI project - high resolution atmospheric modeling. The model is run at the Jacksonville Weather Forecast Office and is improving operational forecasts by providing detailed wind and precipitation information about the local coastal environment.