New Weather Forecast (To me anyway)

Just got this from Active Capt and wow! I really like it. This website will go into my weather toolbox.


>>> Windyty >>>

We love technology that provides something new and unique. Occasionally,
someone develops something that uses the latest capabilities to change
the way you live (or cruise). A great new website you probably haven't
heard of does just that: windyty.com.

Windyty provides a new way of looking at weather. It uses the very
latest web technologies - we could spit out a list of jargon terms it
incorporates to create the display. But you know what? None of that
matters. What matters is the animation, dynamics, and integration of
what we all want out of weather predictions.

Windyty was written by Cameron Beccario who is a kiter and loves the
weather. A brief, 1 minute video introduction to it can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRmXSK71qXs

There are too many great capabilities within this completely free
resource to list them all. Click on a point and move it around for
dynamic data values; adjust the time at the bottom, select wind, waves,
or other features. Once you have a single data point, click the
"Detailed forecast for this location" and then click the "Wind and
Waves new" button to display a BuoyWeather-like table of forecast
predictions for the selected spot. It goes on and on.

Windyty uses the GFS weather model predictions. This model is not
perfect and the results you see do not replace the need to obtain
multiple sources of weather analysis. But Windyty will grow on you.
We've been using it for 6 months and have found it to be exceptional.
It is the first tool we reach for when looking at weather now because it
provides such a comprehensive view into the patterns of the upcoming
predictions.

Windyty works on iOS and Android browsers including most phones. The
user-interface changes on small screens but it all works.

Warning: using Windyty will hook you. Enjoy!

If it is only the wind arrow animation...it's already out there by others and probably only based on the same data your local marine forecast was made from.


To me...any links to buoy reports with live wind speeds are the ticket.


If these wind animations are using live info too...great...but there is a lot of computer averaging that may not correlate to real wind conditions in a small area that you are boating.


Often wind forecasts are averaged for a region and on the water where some terrain is present...the wind will funnel and increase in speed along the river. Even the Delaware Rive as wide as it is and it's banks as flat as they are will tend to change the averaged forecast winds by 30-40 degrees I have seen in my travels.


So many times the wind might be on your nose or on your stern because of the bodt of water you are travelling.

psneeld said:

If it is only the wind arrow animation...it's already out there by others and probably only based on the same data your local marine forecast was made from.


To me...any links to buoy reports with live wind speeds are the ticket.


If these wind animations are using live info too...great...but there is a lot of computer averaging that may not correlate to real wind conditions in a small area that you are boating.


Often wind forecasts are averaged for a region and on the water where some terrain is present...the wind will funnel and increase in speed along the river. Even the Delaware Rive as wide as it is and it's banks as flat as they are will tend to change the averaged forecast winds by 30-40 degrees I have seen in my travels.


So many times the wind might be on your nose or on your stern because of the bodt of water you are travelling.

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly when I checked out the winds around Nodeles/Cordero Channels using the tool. No accounting for the terrain's twisting of the winds.

However, the coloured arrows did jibe with the current forecast for the wind speeds and directions, which was what I was expecting.

As an exact indicator of current conditions, it is approximately what the forecasters say, i.e., not exact; incorporating ocean buoy reports would be very very nice!

It would be a great tool for an at a glance look at the general winds, although I think its real benefit is as a wow factor for guests onboard and perhaps a basic teaching tool for the kids.

Proving of course that you have internet.

You really need to use the site and not just look at the animation. This is a significant new, free tool. It adds a bunch of technology the other sites like nullearth and adds integration to give dynamic and table predictions.

If you like BuoyWeather, you'll never go back after spending a few hours with this to see all that it does.

Jeffrey S said:

You really need to use the site and not just look at the animation. This is a significant new, free tool.

Click to expand...

You're right; once you get past the animated winds there is an amazing amount of information presented in a very user friendly fashion.

Thanks for pointing that out - I think; now I'll be in there for hours!

Have been using the site since last February, when a circumnav sailor buddy of mine sent the link to me. I've used it for the Bahamas and along the Gulf Coast regions, mostly. It's been spot on, especially in the 1-4 day out range.

Highly recommend it!

Jeffrey S said:

You really need to use the site and not just look at the animation. This is a significant new, free tool. It adds a bunch of technology the other sites like nullearth and adds integration to give dynamic and table predictions.

If you like BuoyWeather, you'll never go back after spending a few hours with this to see all that it does.

Click to expand...

I agree. There is much much more than just winds. I was able to zoom in to Astoria OR and is showed winds, temp, wind waves, swells and many more options....

That map looks similar to the null school map done a few months back.

earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

One thing the nullschool map does is let you see currents and eddys. I didn't see that on the other one.

Stu

while it does have a lot and in a great format...sort of...it really isn't telling me anything new that I can see.


I will get excited when the forecasts get better...not just how weather is being presented. Part of the whole puzzle is finding the info you need and in a format you like...if this does it for some...great.

psneeld said:

If it is only the wind arrow animation...it's already out there by others and probably only based on the same data your local marine forecast was made from.


To me...any links to buoy reports with live wind speeds are the ticket.


If these wind animations are using live info too...great...but there is a lot of computer averaging that may not correlate to real wind conditions in a small area that you are boating.


Often wind forecasts are averaged for a region and on the water where some terrain is present...the wind will funnel and increase in speed along the river. Even the Delaware Rive as wide as it is and it's banks as flat as they are will tend to change the averaged forecast winds by 30-40 degrees I have seen in my travels.


So many times the wind might be on your nose or on your stern because of the bodt of water you are travelling.

Click to expand...

THanks for saying it PS, but no one is listening. Why? because they like the little dancing figures.

Actually, the text, not grib, marine forecast is more accurate because it's written by someone who has looked at all the available forecast model and yes, even looks at live weather to see how well each model is doing.:lol:

earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

Look at this display and see how it shows the currents. If you're traveling outside on the east coast, it shows how far offshore you'd need to be to get around the gulf stream.

I think showing the eddy currents is interesting since you might find that moving east or west a bit could increase your SOG.

Stu

Wxx3 said:

THanks for saying it PS, but no one is listening. Why? because they like the little dancing figures.

Actually, the text, not grib, marine forecast is more accurate because it's written by someone who has looked at all the available forecast model and yes, even looks at live weather to see how well each model is doing.:lol:

Click to expand...

Aw...what the heck do you know...

Besides...99% of the boating I do...you have to read between the lines of forecasts anyway.

One sentence of actual/live data such as a buoy report is worth 100 forecasts.

Crossing large bodies of water is a whole different story.... and I don't consider anything that can be crossed in 10-15 hrs a large body of water such as a Gulf Stream crossing to the Bahamas.

psneeld said:

Aw...what the heck do you know...

Besides...99% of the boating I do...you have to read between the lines of forecasts anyway.

One sentence of actual/live data such as a buoy report is worth 100 forecasts.

Crossing large bodies of water is a whole different story.... and I don't consider anything that can be crossed in 10-15 hrs a large body of water such as a Gulf Stream crossing to the Bahamas.

Click to expand...

I think you hit the nail on its head.

In the days when I had to make a forecast that actually mattered, it was unconscionable to give a pilot a forecast, TAF, without looking at the current observation AND amending the Taf as needed.

But as time went on, I discovered too many forecasters who didn't bother and even some who thought they could NOT modify the forecast.

Which was a sure way to work your way out of a job and end up with the automated system we have today.

Wxx3 said:

I think you hit the nail on its head.

In the days when I had to make a forecast that actually mattered, it was unconscionable to give a pilot a forecast, TAF, without looking at the current observation AND amending the Taf as needed.

But as time went on, I discovered too many forecasters who didn't bother and even some who thought they could NOT modify the forecast.

Which was a sure way to work your way out of a job and end up with the automated system we have today.

Click to expand...

Forecasting of any sort, be it weather or economics, suffers from over parameterization of the model(s). When models become "over-fitted" the forecasting ability suffers.

You can't beat lighthouse or ocean buoy data for real time information. It's just that they don't provide you with what is going to happen in 12 or 24 hours.


Jim
Sent from my iPad using Trawler Forum

I don't think there is just one specific system that works well under all conditions. It is better if you gather your weather data from several sources (to include buoys) then make your decision based on that......