Objective Forecasts - a Listing

GRIB Files and products.

The tables below list some of the many sources of forecasts generated from GFS GRIB files which provide data at a minimum spacing of 1/2 degree and at 3 hour intervals, Some products derived from the GFS files include finer scale forecasts, where noted.

In addition to this list, there are services provided by chart plotting companies using the same data. See their websites for details. Many of the sites listed are ones that I have looked at or used. There are many more services available, but they will all be similar to those listed here. I will try to add other sources and correct those listed here as advised by users or suppliers.

Communication costs depend upon data volumes.  A reasonably large sized area of winds at 1/2 degree spacing for 5 days at 6 hour intervals can cost less than 10p using GPRS, not roaming. This could be by email or FTP. Web based products will generally require substantial bandwidth because of the graphics and advertising logos/gimmicks.

Various pages on this site discuss the use of  forecasts and what lies behind them. Sailors might find my summary page to be a good starting point.

 
 

By email, free - good for those with restricted bandwidth
Service Comments on use (where known) Data available

Saildocs              (send a blank email to  gribinfo@saildocs.com) 
 Funded by SailMail,

Probably the most flexible of all services but requires precise formatting.  Very useful repeat request facility.
Viewfax is a crude but very lightweight viewer. Or it can be used with most viewers.

 Global data - wind, pressure. temperature, sea temperature, wave.
Fine scale 0.2 degree for eastern Pacific, west Atlantic, and Caribbean/Central America only.
 

GlobalMarineNet.  Provided by GMN to promote other services

Compressed files need specific viewers or converting to standard form. Requires precise formatting, more intuitive than Saildocs. Repeat request facility.

 Global wind data only.

MailASail  To advertise data compression and other services.

Uses standard viewers. Similar in use to GMN

 Global data as Saildocs

By FTP, free - good for those with restricted bandwidth

UGrib   funded by advertising.

Very easy and the most intuitive of all GRIB data services. Its only real drawback is that there is no repeat request facility. The viewer software is very light. Slightly odd chart projection. Can be used with other viewers.

 Global data - wind, pressure, rain areas.
 

Web page based, free - may require substantial bandwidth
PassageWeather funded by advertising A very easy and useful online way of accessing GRIB files in chart form. Global data for oceanic areas eg the Atlantic and smaller areas, eg the North Sea. Winds, wave and isobars.
WINDFINDER   funded by advertising. Developed for surfers and board sailors. Another easy to use site for seeing GRIB data in chart form Global data for oceanic areas eg the Atlantic and smaller areas, eg the North Sea. Winds, wave
www.wetteronline.com  funded by advertising Easy to use for "location specific forecasts. A little clumsy for wind charts. Global data with wind vectors shown for small areas - 8 degree squares/.

XCWeather advertises other services.

Web page graphical displays, not suitable for mobile phone use.

 Actual data and forecasts for all observing locations over and around the UK and France.

Buoyweather   advertises forecasts that use fine scale models

 Easy menu driven

Forecasts at buoy sites using global model.

Windguru advertises forecasts that use fine scale models

 Easy menu driven

Forecasts at specific locations using global model.
http://www.poseidon.ncmr.gr/  Greek Centre for Marine Research Easy to use for Greek waters. Meso scale 0.1 degree spacing
http://www.meteo.gr/  (English version available). National Observatory Athens, a research institute. Easy to use for Greek waters. Meso scale 0.1 degree spacing

By Email, on repayment - good for those with restricted bandwidth
GlobalMarineNet   Part of extensive service providing text, chart and GRIB forecasts over Marine HF radio.

Movingweather 

  . See below. These services can also be obtained by email.

ProGRIB 

 

By ftp, on repayment - good for those with restricted bandwidth

 

 

Movingweather 

Reasonably easy to use but not as simple as UGrib. A rather odd projection. Cannot be used with other viewers.

 Global data only - wind, pressure, temperature, rain, cloud and humidity. Interpolates from 1/2 degree spacing to any scale.

ProGRIB  GRIB data only

Rather inflexible in area definition and chunky data selection. Most viewers

 Global and fine scale (0.1 and 0.02 degree spacing) Wind, pressure, temperature, wave/swell and rain.
Clearpoint is a new service that provides weather and oceanographic data as well as GRIB based products.. First impressions of a trial are that it is over complicated and may be too heavy to download for economic use over mobile or satellite phone. Global model data and fine scale for wind, pressure, air and sea temperatures. Also information from synoptic charts.

Web page based, on repayment - may require substantial bandwidth

 

Theyr.net  Same firm as ProGRIB.

 Menu driven, reasonably easy.

 Fine scale forecasts 0.1 degree grid spacing

Theyr.tv  This was the original Theyr.net

 

 Menu driven, reasonably easy.

 Fine scale forecasts 0.2 degree

Buoyweather   meso scale mode; data

 Easy menu driven

Forecasts at buoy sites using meso-scale model.

Windguru meso scale mode; data

 Easy menu driven

Forecasts at specific locations using meso-scale model.

Other

 

To these can be added the various websites that offer location specific forecasts, usually using GFS output. Examples are Accuweather, Wetteronline The Weather Channel, Weather Underground and WILEY NAUTICAL.  The latter is available over a mobile phone with text capability as well as on a web browser.

These are all automatically produced forecasts based, probably, on the GFS or, possibly,  some other large scale model.

None is particularly better than any other. There will be differences in the presentation but little in content. Similarly. there is also a service provided by Météorem and found in many French, Spanish and Italian marinas. This has all the appearance of being entirely automatic. I always found Météo France to be a better service and would never rely on Météorem in isolation.

Météo France Navimail  is a comprehensive service that includes GRIB files on a global scale and fine scale.

 

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© Frank Singleton, December 2007