Best online weather forecast?

[roscozen]

I am looking for a good simple , quick online source of weather probability. I have seen some of these and they're near impossible to read without a translator and a slide rule. Winter chop in socal coastal waters is sometimes way too rough to invest the time it takes to get the boat down to the ramp just to turn around and go home. I would like to find a good way to be prepared. Please advise.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

I check out what the swell has been in the past from the buoy data here:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Southwest.shtml

Pretty good indication of what the swell is going to be like. Wind is another matter unless there is a prevaling wind pattern from the past few days.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

Weather? I use these 2 for radar.

http://www.wunderground.com/favorites/
http://www.intellicast.com/National/Weather.aspx

 

[sasto]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

The ones I go to the most..... wunderground.com and noaa.

I don't rely on them, but use them as a tool to make my decision. I would couple the forecast with the bouy that Bruce recommended. This way I can follow the forecast and the actual wave heights to determine if the conditions are acceptable. If you can find a web cam in your area, that would also aid in making a decision.

I have been studying weather patterns for several years. (And it's taken me years to learn) Study the clouds and the fronts that pass your area and your on your way to fair sailing.

Good Luck!

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

This is what I use - just replace the lat/lon in the URL with whatever location you're interested in, then save it to your favorites. It's not the prettiest UI, but it is informative and there are no ads to bug you.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClic...97.04799&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=graphical

For radar, I use http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/southplains_loop.php

And I might use this http://water.weather.gov/precip/ if I need to take gravel roads to the ramp and want to know if they will be muddy...

I use the Garmin MyCast app on my smartphone, it uses NWS data and has good radar.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

intellicast is my current favorite.

 

[BRICH1260]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

Weatherunderground is what i use for all my outdoor activities.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

I use weatherunderground too for my local weather. You guys are using it to determine marine weather?

 

[sasto]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

Here is an example of the easy to understand web site I refer to.....along with a couple others.

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/AM/555.html

 

[Smuggler's Blues]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

+1 on intellicast.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

Here is an example of the easy to understand web site I refer to.....along with a couple others.

http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/AM/555.html

Thanks

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

weather.gov
But why it works for my area might not work for yours. I'm not dealing with coastal waters.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

I have found that most of the private weather services are pretty much junk when it comes to forecasting our local conditions. They do not understand how the weather patterns affect the local waters and they generalize too much. Apparently, everyone knows that a steady 10 knot south wind blowing against an outgoing tide is going to produce a nasty 2-3’chop except for the weatherman.

A lot of us use NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) wind forecast in conjunction with our knowledge of the local waters to make our own wave predictions. I have been using the forecast for 5-6 years now and have found it to be very accurate 6-8 hours out. Beyond that, I would recommend you use it for reference only
http://www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/cbofs/wind_forecast.shtml

Here is a link to all their forecast models. Unfortunately, I do not see anything for the west coast.
http://www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/models.html

 

[roscozen]

Re: Best online weather forecast?

Thanks to you all. I believe I have plenty to choose from now.