I’m frequently asked for the best marine weather apps. Cruising the Florida coast and Bahamas, I’ve found a few favorites.
Summary
Apps are helpful. But don’t forget to look out the hatch to see what’s happening in your area. If you need more information, here’s what we relied on while cruising Florida and the Bahamas.
Windy
Windy is great for a color-coded, big-picture view of the wind, wave, and rain forecasts. The motion feature shows changes over the hours and days. We’ve found Windy pretty accurate. It does require internet access to use.
RADAR
Radar programs come and go. So I can’t recommend a specific one. I prefer ones that show how fast the storm cells are moving and in what direction.
Hurricane Tracker
Everything Hurricane Tracker offers is available on the (US) National Hurricane Center website. What Hurricane Tracker does brilliantly is to make the information easy to access. This is critical if you either have slow internet or pay by data used.
For each storm (and Invest and Potential Storm), Hurricane Tracker has all the NHC maps, satellite images, and the official forecasts and analysis. It’s quick and easy to tap or click from one to another. Its ease of use is why I’m willing to pay for lifetime access.
Marine Weather Center
Marine Weather Center is the “proper” name for what most East Coast and Caribbean cruisers call “Chris Parker’s weather.”
Chris and his staff are full-time marine forecasters for this area and provide subscription forecasts by SSB and email. Subscribe via SSB to talk with him during his designated times for your location. But we use email for time to digest the information.
Chris is a former cruiser who understands weather as it applies to boats. And he’s trained other forecasters to do the same. Forecasts are quite accurate. They tend to err on the side of caution.
To read and for cost information for the apps or information about apps for other cruising grounds, visit Favorite Weather Apps or listen to the complete podcast.
Links:
Windy (also avaialable for iOS and Android)
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Music: “Slow Down” by Yvette Craig
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
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