10 Great Weather Resources for Boaters

All the security experts will tell you its always a good custom to check the weather before you go out on your boat. I'm no expert, but I'd have to agree with the premise; you just never know. Checking the weather in expand will at least give you a clue as to whether a late day squall or a heavy fog might be bearing down on you.

I've compiled a list, in no single order, of some of the best weather tools online or in a smartphone app. Under each tool I've enumerated what can you can expect to find on each weather site. I hope this helps you in selecting one, two or more weather resources that are right for you and if you have some favorites now, maybe a few more you might want consider.

Continental

Accuweather

Here you can get your current, hourly, weekend, extended and monthly forecast for your area. It also provides you with the chances for precipitation over a 24 hour duration in blocks of 3 hours each. There are also Maps for:

U.S.radar feeds with zoom capabilities U.S.satellite feeds with zoom capabilities showing cloud cover U.S.severe weather reads with zoom capabilities and a legend. It also shows lightening strikes and their frequency. news and videos of U.S. National interest a hurricane town with a map and the latest tracking information. current sea outside temperatures worldwide

Aside: AccuWeather is also a free app download for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android featuring today's local forecast, 15 day local forecast, satellite map, videos and more. This is an perfect weather resource for boaters who have a smartphone.

The Weather Channel

This site features daily and hourly

U.S. National, regional and local weather forecasts Marine forecasts with temperature, wind speed and direction, wave height and direction, sea outside temperature, sea state (calm, choppy, etc), relative humidity, visibility, etc. Maps showing U.S. Current temperature, current weather, Doppler radar, infrared satellite and severe weather alerts. All maps are interactive and will bring you down to your local weather situation.

Aside: The Weather Channel app is free and ready for iPhone, Blackberry and Android smartphones. It has current, hourly, 36 hour and 10 day forecasts, beach forecasts, a satellite weather map of you area, severe weather reports, national, local and "must see video" center. Another great weather app for boaters who have a smartphone.

Wunderground

Just type in a location and you can get current/basic local weather information.

A click on Maps and Radar will give you informational displays and data on:

U.S.weather fronts severe weather alerts and warnings in your area Nexrad involving radar readings for the Us, Canada and Australia with facts on storm tracks, total precipitation and severe weather satellite images of national and local cloud cover marine forecasts worldwide, showing water temperatures, wave heights and wind speeds.

Aside: Wunderground has an free app for iPhone called Weather Quickie, but it's not as wide as the website and I wouldn't rely on it for boating forecasts.

Noaa (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

This is maybe to most wide weather site of them all. Here you can get your basic weekly weather forecast by the location you select. Scroll further down the page and you'll find weather maps with Radar and Satellite Images. There's a

regional radar map showing severe weather and flash flood warnings. satellite images map of the continental U.S. (color enhanced)

Further down the page you'll find the National Digital Forecast Database which has weather data displayed in graphic fashion showing:

an Hourly Weather Graph indicating 24 hours of temperature, wind, wind gusts, sky cover, heat index, possible thunderstorms and precipitation a perilous Weather report for the reported area

To the left of the National Digital Forecast Database you'll find two maps, one of climatic characteristic Forecast, the other a Forecast Database Map where you can look up local and regional graphical displays of today's, tonight's and tomorrow's:

possibility of precipitation temperature dew point wind speed and direction wind gusts sky cover relative humidity apparent temperature

Aside: There is an app for iPhone from Noaa called Weather Alert Usa that has received favorable ratings. As of this writing it costs .99.

Marine Weather - Noaa

This site features zone forecasts of the:

North Atlantic North and Southeast Pacific Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Tropical Atlantic Alaska and North Pacific Central Pacific

Within each zone you can view daily

wind, wave and outside charts, typhoon, high wind and wave charts using satellite technology upper air charts

National Hurricane = Noaa Center

If you're tracking hurricanes, you'll find a lot of facts on this site:

a map showing active tropical storms, tracking facts and analysis hurricane awareness and facts about hurricanes in normal with a briefing on such topics as preparedness, storm surges, Faqs about hurricanes and tropical weather and forecast models

Passage Weather

This site provides 7 day wind and weather forecasts beneficial to offshore mariners. The forecast charts are for every zone of the world and feature maps illustrating:

surface winds 10 miles above sea level surface pressure visibility cloud cover precipitation wave height and direction

Other Smartphone Weather Apps to Consider:

Weather Bug for iPhone, Blackberry and Android. It's free and shows

current conditions of temperature, wind speed and direction, wind gusts, high and low temperatures for the day, wind chill, humidity, dew point and alerts the weekly forecast an infrared satellite map of the conditions in your area videos on the national weather outlook

Aside: This is the most favorite of the weather apps and the most versatile for the smartphone. And, you can't beat the cost.

WeatherRadar for iPhone. Provides immediate base reflectivity radar, global weather radar and cloud cover over a selection of a streets only map, streets and satellites map or satellite only map. It shows radar only, no other weather facts is ready with this app, but it show real-time radar which is a big plus. Cost for the app is .99 as of this writing.

Boat Load for iPhone. Get real-time weather forecast in any of 42,000 U.S. Cities with hourly, 36 hour, 7 day forecasts for any area you chose. It also has facts a boater might be concerned in such the location of marinas, port and supplies. Tidal facts is also ready as well as is the quality to file a float plan or send an emergency alert. Cost of the download is .99. As of this writing.

So there you have 10 dependable resources for coastal and nautical weather. I think they're some of the best you'll find save weather on Gps which can cost upwards of 0 for a unit with radar and over /mo for the service. These 10 sites are free as are the weather apps for Accuweather, The Weather Channel, Weather Quickie and Weather Bug. If it works on your smartphone it can work for you; it's literally worth the time of a straightforward download. A check of any one of these weather resources might keep you and your passengers safe and save you from encountering some predictable, forecasted nasty weather which most literally would ruin an otherwise perfect day on the water.

10 Great Weather Resources for Boaters