Weather

Weather awareness is a fundamental element of the boating experience.
Presented here are some weather links.

A cautionary note regarding the weather prediction models on this page.

While it is true that meteorology has come a long way in predicting the path and intensity of weather patterns, it is still a best guess scenario. The accuracy of any prediction, be it weather or Wall St., diminishes the farther one looks to the future.

Long Island Sound wind and wave forecast from Wunderground

Weather Channel 10 day forecast for Old Saybrook.

Wxnation is a good site for local weather information. It also is an excellent
source for live streaming news broadcasts from the affected area during weather emergencies.

Intellicast radar imagery site offers many viewing options, including storm cell predictions.

The National Weather Service radar is an interactive display that allows the
user to zoom in on particular areas to observe the intensity of individual storm cells.
The better your screen resolution and video card the better the results.

National Hurricane Center

Note:
When looking at a weather model keep in mind that most analysis and model images are shown using a constant pressure surface. This information is compiled using the trusty old weather balloon.
The pressure decreases as the altitude increases.

The most common measurements you will see are the 1000 mb, 850 mb, 700 mb, 500 mb, and 300 mb surfaces. Keep the following numbers in mind.

1000 mb = near surface
850 mb = 1,500 meters (5,000 feet)
700 mb = 3,100 meters (10,000 feet)
500 mb = 5,500 meters (18,000 feet)

The Tropical Center at Florida State displays some of the forecast models used in compiling the National Hurricane Center forecasts. Caution should be taken in viewing these as their accuracy declines as the time line increases.

This model site is used by many weather stations and provides a wealth of information.

Jet Stream forecast, click on “Forecast Loop” at the bottom of the North America column. A whole lot more stuff as well.

North Atlantic wave height forecast loop for the offshore passagemaker, or armchair sailor.

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar