The Best Weather Apps for a Yachtsman

Meteorological model

At the moment, there is a fairly large list of meteorological models. They are used to collect, process data and predict the weather. Sometimes different applications rely on different meteorological models, sometimes - several pieces per application. Let's briefly go over the main ones and find out what their differences are:

• ECMWF: European model with 9 km scale. It is updated twice a day and is the most accurate model globally.
• GFS: American global weather model with a scale of 27 km. Data updates occur four times a day. Of the minuses of the model, the modeling does not take into account the topography of the area, which makes the model unreliable for cruises near the coast.
• ICON: German meteorological model with a scale of 13 km. Of the interesting features - the scale for Europe is 7 km. This makes ICON probably the most accurate model for Europe. Has four updates per day.
• SPIRE: the choice for offshore enthusiasts. It has a scale of 12 km and has the best weather forecasting accuracy in offshore areas.
• UKMO: British model with a global scale of 10 km. For Britain, there is an option with a scale of 1.5 km. Prediction accuracy is increased similarly.
• OS: Greek model with 12 km scale is an excellent option for sailing from Italy to Turkey.
• AROME: French model with a scale of 1.25 km. It is excellent at predicting the weather around France, the southern tip of Britain and Ireland, and covers the coast of Germany a little.
• WRF: 8 km scale model. Updates come once a day. A reliable choice for the Mediterranean

In addition to the above, there are many other models. However, these models should be enough to travel along popular European routes. Let's get to the apps!

PredictWind

The application has a user-friendly but informative interface. Animation of weather effects will help you more accurately understand what you can expect. Quite convenient marking of different wind strengths is also used.

The application makes it possible to find out relatively accurate data on wind, waves, electric potential (!) Of impending clouds, clouds, rain, temperature, pressure. There is a special “Check” page for anxious sailors. The application will help you choose the most accurate weather model based on your position.

One of the advantages of PredictWind is its functionality, which includes a decent number of tools that will help determine several likely weather scenarios.

PredictWind is free but has a subscription system. So, there are several types of subscriptions ranging from 0 (free version) to $499 per year for the most sophisticated service package. The best option would be the Basic package with the ability to scale up to 1 km - it will cost $ 29 per year.

GRIBView

One of the record holders in the number of available models - as many as 17 pieces! Among them there are both very accurate (with a scale of up to 1.1 km) and global ones. Data from GRIBView can be uploaded to Navionics charts and directly to the chartplotter, which is an undeniable advantage.

There is a free version of the program, as well as a subscription for £8.99/month. It includes improved forecasting accuracy and additional wave data. There is also a Premium version for £16.99/month. It also offers data on the movement of ice and tidal currents. 

It is worth warning that the annual subscription package will eventually come out cheaper than renewing the registration every month.

windy.app

A very popular application not only among yachtsmen and sailors, but also among inexperienced people. Windy.app visually shows you data on wind and waves, clouds and precipitation, as well as a temperature forecast for 10 days in advance.

The basic free version will also offer tide data. A paid subscription will expand the functionality of the application. It will allow access to a greater number of forecasts that are compiled on the basis of different meteorological models. The PRO subscription costs £8.99 per month and £52.99 per year. Subscription bonuses include getting access to archived weather data up to 2012, as well as comparing models and weather forecasts offline, without an Internet connection.

The application can compare forecasts of different weather models for a particular location and report which of these models has been the most accurate in the past. 

windhub

A simple, clear and user-friendly interface is the main advantage of the application. You can easily switch between different weather models with a single swipe. With the second swipe, you can get data on gusts of wind, precipitation, clouds, pressure.

For each selected point (location, for example), the program will select and summarize all known data. There you can also find quite a reliable graphical analysis of wind speed and data on tidal currents.

Among the interesting features is the tide curve. With it, you can see the time and height of the tide. The application also relies on several weather models. However, WindHub itself offers its own large-scale forecast based on approximations of data from different meteorological models.

A year of subscription will cost £58.99 for the European region.

Windfinder

The basic version of the application offers wind forecasts on a scale of 7 km in Europe and 5 km in North America. Alas, there is a minus for those who love traveling around the world - the coverage area of the application is limited to Europe, North America, Egypt, the Canary Islands and South Africa. Despite this, in the above regions, the application works properly.

For more detailed weather and wind data, you will need to upgrade to a Windfinder Plus subscription. It will cost you just £9.49/year or £1.39/month, which is one of the lowest prices on the market. Moreover, the data is updated every 6 hours.

Among other features of the application, the so-called “points” are places on the map about which you can get instant information about winds, waves, tides, etc. Also Windfinder (with a subscription) offers access to 63,000 webcams and wind warnings.

windguru 

One of the most popular apps. Provides wind, wave and weather data around the world. Among the advantages of the mobile version is a similar number of meteorological models compared to the PRO version. 

Forecast reliability is a feature of Windguru. The service offers some of the most accurate forecasts in principle, which is why it is so popular. The WRF model provides the best accuracy. For some, there is a minus - this application does not have a fancy interface, but in this case it is not needed. 

The web version of the application is one of the oldest sites in the world with weather forecasts for sailors. PRO subscription will cost 2.9 euros per month.

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11.02.2023