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 What Weather Reports do you use?
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Mark Maxwell
Captain

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USA
329 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/02/2010 :  07:47:43  Show Profile
The L.I.Sound Sailor thread got me thinking. There are several different weather sources I use. What do others use?

I start with local news while at home then once on the boat I'll listen to NOAA. I then have 4 weather apps on my iPhone and one web site. Two of the apps are just mobile versions of the Weather Channel and Accu Weather.
The Weather Channel app gives me beach info and surf conditions, while AccuWeather gives me a radar image of what may be further out. It's funny how different the two can be.
The other 2 apps are Buoy Data and Wind Alert. Buoy Data is basically the same info as reported by NOAA but more specific to each buoy I want plus tide info. Wind Alert is powered by windflow and provides a nice wind graph of current and expected wind conditions(ashore).
The web site I review is Sailflow.com, which is good for a more broad wind picture. I do need a cellular signal to use the phone apps, so if I'm at sea I will fire up the XM Weather via my Garmin Map/Sounder.
So...too much info? What are your weather habits?


Mark-
'Impulse...’
1978 C25 #533 SR/DIN/FIN ~_/)~
Bakersfield, CA.

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2010 :  10:29:07  Show Profile
We have a weather station just a few miles from the lake. I also use Windfinder.

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2010 :  13:48:40  Show Profile
I use the [url="http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/"]National Data Buoy Center.[/url]

Knowing where the buoys/weather station are with regards to the topography is helpful. For example: One of the sites that is close to where I sail is protected from the south so the wind readings are artificially low. I compare to 2 or 3 nearby NDBC sites and judge which is most accurate based on direction. One of those is ~25 miles or so off shore so that gives the dominant direction. Another is on an island with North and Northwest obstructions.

I also use [url="http://weather.weatherbug.com/weather-safety/online-weather-center/onlineweathercenter.aspx?aid=272"]Weatherbug[/url]. The specific site is at a yacht club located on the Sandusky Bay. This has very local data but doesn't provide any trending information. They're available around the country.


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jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2010 :  18:18:19  Show Profile
As I understand it, there are three independent weather forecasting entities, and all forecasters base their predictions on these three models, hence the occasional variances...having said that, I'm a fan of http://www.sailflow.com and http://www.usairnet.com...

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DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2010 :  08:06:41  Show Profile  Visit DaveR's Homepage
For an overall trend I look at [url="http://weather.unisys.com/satellite/sat_wv_east_loop-12.html"]Unisys Weather[/url] -
For tides I look at [url="http://www.saltwatertides.com/"]Salt Water Tides[/url] -
For day to day local conditions I use [url="http://www.wunderground.com/"]Weather Underground[/url] -

I like [url="http://www.weatherbonk.com/"]Weatherbonk[/url], and [url="http://windmapper.com/FL/observations"]WindMapper[/url] too.

Ya know what though, I like sailflow alot too. There's a million of them! and many good ones.

Edited by - DaveR on 10/03/2010 08:18:31
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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2010 :  10:56:49  Show Profile
Anybody wanna sail [url="http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45005"]Lake Erie[/url] today?

Winds 30+ knots with 8' waves. No thanks.

Edited by - John Russell on 10/03/2010 11:28:49
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Chris Z
Captain

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452 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2010 :  11:09:37  Show Profile  Visit Chris Z's Homepage
too cold today. I was out on Atwood Lake yesterday and it was great. Strong winds and we sailed half the day with another boat from our dock.

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jbkayaker
Captain

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USA
299 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2010 :  16:51:57  Show Profile
A person on shore uses the radar display from Intellicast to track the threat of lightning from thunderstorms during our Summer races. Intellicast radar has less of a lag than other weather websites. You have to refresh the Internet connecton every 30 minutes which is annoying.

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Merrick
Navigator

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USA
192 Posts

Response Posted - 10/05/2010 :  14:30:23  Show Profile
I like weatherunderground, it has links to marine information and aviation weather as well as tropical. Several big picture screens also for fronts, satellite, etc. Also for $5 per year you can get rid of the ads.

Edited by - Merrick on 10/05/2010 14:31:50
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GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 10/05/2010 :  17:35:31  Show Profile
Weathertap.com either on line or mobile. Also XM weather on my GPSMAP 378.

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piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 10/05/2010 :  19:02:57  Show Profile  Visit piseas's Homepage
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Merrick</i>
<br />I like weatherunderground, it has links to marine information and aviation weather as well as tropical. Several big picture screens also for fronts, satellite, etc. Also for $5 per year you can get rid of the ads.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Merrick, I am with you. I have 4 or 5 on my IPhone but noticed they are way off, with the exception of Weatherground. Just the other day, 4 reports said it was 75 while Westherground was the only one who correctly pronounced the temp at 69. That was pretty significant.
Steve A

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aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2010 :  09:13:49  Show Profile  Visit aeckhart's Homepage
I use the local NOAA radio forcast. However, the last time we raced Lake Superior their forcast was for a small craft advisory, which, for racing, is not overly bad. Half way through the first leg however, the wind jumped to 35 with higher gusts and waves to 5 feet. Since I was sailing alone I decided to reef the main and genny and head home. The boat handled it very well although thoughts of broken rigging were in the back of my mind. My scariest moment was when the bow was buried in a large wave, right up to the mast. Anyway, it took four long hours to get back. Will I trust NOAA again? Sure, but not as a sole source.

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