The ‘validation’ page lets you identify the most accurate forecast model in your location, but coverage is not universal. You can also toggle between traditional wind barbs and arrows, and consult wind, waves, electrical potential, cloud, rain, pressure and temperatures. Fantastic interface, with a slick animated forecast that uses colours to reinforce the data on wind strength. HRRR: 3km resolution for incredible detail over the US.īest weather apps for sailors PredictWind.HIRLAM: Collab between 10 European met offices for short-range accuracy.Reliable around France, southern England, Ireland and as far as the German coast. AROME: French model with 1.25km resolution.OS: Developed in Greece with a 12km resolution – that’s very good in the Med.WRF: Resolves down to 500m and often used as a basis for other forecasting services.CFS: Produced by the US NOAA for climate-level predictions over nine months ahead.UKMO: Met Office model with 10km global resolution and an exceptional 1.5km in the UK.SPIRE: 12km resolution with intensive use of radio occultation data to provide top accuracy offshore.ICON: 13km resolution (7km in Europe, making it the best for our continent) including horizontal wind speed.Not so good near coasts, as it doesn’t consider topography. GFS: 27km resolution with four daily updates, from the US.ECMWF: European model with 9km resolutions, updated twice daily, and considered the most accurate global model.Weather apps draw on a huge range of meteorological models to gather and present their data, so dig down into the version details to make sure the meteorological model being used by the app will suit your cruising plans. Nor is it always specified whether the apps use UTC or local time, which can give rise to errors of an hour. Note also that not all the apps offer the same level of support for secondary ports, so check your favourite spots before you buy. Some weather apps also offer better overseas coverage than others, with global predictions up to a year ahead.īut be aware that you may need to buy a separate subscription to unlock unlimited forward predictions beyond the UK. There’s no sense going for PredictWind, for instance, with its offshore weather routing and narrowband satellite mode, if you just want to know what’s happening in your local estuary over the next few hours. The best weather apps tend to charge a subscription fee, so it’s worth being clear on where and how you intend to use your boat. Rapidly evolving digital technology now allows the sailing community to benefit from a huge range of specialised, easy to use and inexpensive weather apps.Īdvanced weather forecasting models are currently being produced by a multitude of meteorological offices around the world, whose supercomputers churn through data of unimaginable complexity, from the charge of particles in the air to convection currents.ĭifferent models have different strong points, and many of the weather apps covered in this survey allow you to select between them, with the more technical ones comparing several forecasts with actual observations in your area and recommending the most accurate.
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