Weather Resources

[timinfla2]

I'm curious as to which web-based weather resources you folks has found the most helpful.

I'd be especially interested in hearing from the folks in South Florida - i.e., how do you know what the conditions are in the gulf stream during the planning stages of a run out to the Bahamas?

Thank you,
Tim

 

[tphinney]

here on the other coast I use my local tv station (BayNews 9) which has a weather update on the "nines". 9,19,29,39,49 past the hour.

as for on the water I use PDA Weather on my mobile device to give me the local RADAR shot of the area i'm in. It's been real useful for me since I don't have Radar on the boat or XM weather (Yet).

 

[tobnpr]

Pre-trip planning: Intellicast and the not-so-reliable NOAA.
Sirius Wx on the boat. Real time radar, wave heights, and SST's.

 

[Four Suns]

Both Sirius and XM use the Nexrad radar system out there. I wonder why there is not a station in the Bahamas at all...

I relied on the NOAA wave height report last summer when I left Newport, RI heading to Block Island as the XM wave heights were showing 7.8-7.9 feet... NOAA was showing much less.... XM was right... oops.

 

[timinfla2]

forgive the silly question. When you say 'showed' wave height, do you mean you heard it on the radio or are you saying there is a visual interface for xm?

 

[Four Suns]

XM weather (and Sirius) give a visual wave map prediction.

 

[VTSeaRay]

I use a number of them, weather.com, intellicast, (my girlfriend likes weatherbug, but I don't) accuweather, our local nbc station has this new weather mapping feature that gives storm cell speed/direction that's kind of nice, but it's a little gimmicky. Then I go to a couple web cams, one on each side of the lake to see what the weather looks like, and the what the wind/wave action is. The wind/wave action might make me change my launch site.

-VtSeaRay

 

[saltydogz]

I use Intellicast.com and WeatherCarib.com.

WeatherCarib.com is the best site I have found to see what is coming up from the Tropical Atlantic & Caribbean Weather during hurricane season.

 

[Weave]

I have liked wunderground.com for my minimal use of weather resources

 

[Gunn]

I have liked wunderground.com for my minimal use of weather resources

I've used them too and they do have good information...I like how they have hour-to-hour "predictions" of the wind direction and speed so I know what it "may" be like while I'm out there; even though sometimes they're completely inaccurate...

 

[5sman]

I use NOAA for the local forecast while planning my weekends etc. On the boat I use Weatherbug on my BlackBerry for forecasts and satellite images. I've also used NOAA's Dial a Buoy for realtime info on Lake Ontario conditions such as wind, wave heights etc. Dial a Buoy covers all of the Great Lakes and many coastal regions. I have no radar or Sirius/XM weather on board.

 

[DS410]

We had a local meteorologist give a talk at our last Power Squadron membership meeting. She gave us all a handout with some of her favorite links.

National Weather Service - http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx

Compilation Website - http://www.wexis.com/sopka5.html (this site is run by Dr. Bob Sopka)

Weather education sites include:

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/edures.shtml

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/wworks0.htm

David

 

[saltydogz]

I also race sailboats in the Chesapeake Bay area and NOAA has this get site as well http://www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/cbofs/cbofs.html. Over the year they have improved it a lot and it get pretty close to what happens.

It will show you the tides and wind history, nowcast, and forecast by the hour. I believe that NOAA also has this for other part of the country.

 

[searayman300]

One of my favorite FREE marine weather forcasts is
http://www.passageweather.com/

It is global and also shows the gulf stream.

It is really good for forcasting winds and storms. Wave heights tend to be a little overestimated when compared to bouy realtime. I personally would rather over not under estimated like NOAA. Ive been caught out 30nm a few times thanks to NOAA and Sirius. Passage Weather is good.

Just my 2cents....

 

[5sman]

I relied on the NOAA wave height report last summer when I left Newport, RI heading to Block Island as the XM wave heights were showing 7.8-7.9 feet... NOAA was showing much less.... XM was right... oops.

I personally would rather over not under estimated like NOAA. Ive been caught out 30nm a few times thanks to NOAA and Sirius.
Just my 2cents....

Agreed on NOAA underestimating. I learned very quickly that their definition of a 1 foot wave is much different than mine. :grin:

Whenever I hear their wave report I generally multply by 2. Nevertheless, once the scaling is correct, at least they provide some real-time info...