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⛈ Sailing Weather — Wind, Waves & Marine Forecasts

Sailboat weather is different from land weather. Wind speed, wind direction, wave height, swell period, current, and tidal timing all matter. This page combines a real-time interactive wind map with location-specific NOAA forecasts — enter your ZIP code, city/state, or GPS coordinates to get a 7-day marine forecast for your area, and use the Windy map to visualize conditions anywhere in the world.

Knots vs. mph reminder: Marine forecasts use knots (kt). 1 knot = 1.15 mph = 1.85 km/h. 10 kt = light breeze, comfortable sailing  |  15–20 kt = ideal sailing wind  |  25 kt = start reducing sail  |  30+ kt = heavy weather  |  40+ kt = storm conditions.

Jump to:   Wind Map  |  Local Forecast  |  NOAA Marine Zones  |  Weather Radio Channels  |  Reading a Marine Forecast  |  Weather Resources

📡 Real-Time Wind Map — Windy.com

Interactive real-time wind, gust, wave, and pressure maps powered by Windy.com — the gold standard for sailing weather worldwide. Pan, zoom, and click any point for a detailed forecast. Search your location below to zoom the map to your sailing area.

Show:

Wind map by Windy.com — uses ECMWF and GFS forecast models — updated every 6 hours — click any point on the map for a detailed local forecast.

📍 Local Forecast — Enter Your Location

Enter a ZIP code, city and state (e.g. Annapolis MD), or GPS coordinates (e.g. 38.9717, -76.5133) to get the NOAA 7-day forecast for your sailing area. The Windy map above will also zoom to your location.

Examples:   98101  •  Annapolis MD  •  Key West FL  •  47.6062, -122.3321

⏳ Looking up forecast…

Marine vs. land forecasts: The NOAA forecast shown here is for the nearest land point. For coastal and offshore sailing, also check the NOAA marine zone forecast for your specific coastal waters (see the Marine Zones section below) — it includes wave heights, swell period, and sea state that the land forecast does not.

⛵ NOAA Marine Zone Forecasts by Coast

NOAA issues separate marine forecasts for coastal, nearshore, offshore, and high-seas zones. These are the forecasts sailors actually use — they include wind, seas, swell, and weather specific to the water, not the nearest town. Find your zone by coast:

Region Waters Covered NOAA Forecast Link
Pacific Coast — Washington / Oregon Coastal, Columbia River Bar, offshore to 200nm NWS Seattle / Portland
Pacific Coast — California (North) Point St. George to Point Conception NWS Bay Area Marine
Pacific Coast — California (South) Point Conception to Mexican border, Channel Islands NWS Los Angeles Marine
Pacific Coast — Alaska Southeast AK, Gulf of Alaska, Kodiak, Bering Sea NWS Anchorage Marine
Hawaii Hawaiian waters, offshore, high seas NWS Honolulu Marine
Gulf of Mexico Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida west coast NWS Gulf Marine
South Atlantic — Florida / Georgia / Carolinas Keys, East FL, GA, SC, NC coastal and offshore NWS Morehead City Marine
Mid-Atlantic — VA / MD / DE / NJ Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, Virginia Beach to NJ NWS Wakefield Marine
Northeast — NY / CT / RI / MA Long Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, offshore NE NWS Boston Marine
New England — NH / ME Maine coast, Gulf of Maine, offshore NWS Gray, ME Marine
Great Lakes (all) Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario NWS Great Lakes Marine
Puget Sound / Strait of Juan de Fuca Puget Sound, San Juans, Strait, Inside Passage NWS Seattle Marine
All Zones — Text Forecast Archive Search all US marine forecast zones by zone code NOAA Marine Text Forecasts

🌎 Full marine forecast hub: weather.gov/marine — select your region on the map for zone-specific text forecasts, buoy data, and coastal observation stations.

📻 NOAA Weather Radio — VHF WX Channels

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts continuous marine and weather forecasts on dedicated VHF WX channels. Every VHF marine radio has these channels. Always monitor a WX channel before and during a passage.

WX-1
162.550 MHz
Most widely used. Pacific Coast, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes.
WX-2
162.400 MHz
Northeast coast, Upper Great Lakes, Southeast.
WX-3
162.475 MHz
Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Southern States.
WX-4
162.425 MHz
Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii.
WX-5
162.450 MHz
Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Inland areas.
WX-6
162.500 MHz
Pacific Coast, Mountain West.
WX-7
162.525 MHz
Supplemental — expanding coverage areas.

Tip: Scan all 7 WX channels to find the strongest signal in your area. Reception varies by terrain, boat mast height, and transmitter location. Your VHF radio will likely have a dedicated "WX" button or position on the channel knob. SAME alerts (Specific Area Message Encoding) on your DSC radio can be programmed to alert you automatically when a marine warning is issued for your county/zone — check your radio manual.

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards: Broadcasts 24/7 including: marine forecasts, storm warnings, special marine warnings, fog advisories, gale warnings, hurricane/tropical storm watches and warnings, and tsunami alerts. weather.gov/nwr

📖 How to Read a NOAA Marine Forecast

Forecast Structure

A NOAA marine forecast is organized as: Synopsis (overall weather pattern), then period-by-period conditions broken into Today, Tonight, Monday, Monday Night, etc. Each period states wind direction and speed, then seas.

SYNOPSIS: HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE GREAT BASIN...

TODAY...SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. WIND WAVES 1 FT.
TONIGHT...W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT.
MONDAY...NW WINDS 25 TO 30 KT. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT. PERIOD 10 TO 12 SECONDS.

Wind Terminology

  • SE WINDS 15 KT — Wind from the southeast at 15 knots
  • INCREASING TO 25 KT — Will strengthen during the period
  • BECOMING NW — Wind direction will shift to NW
  • VARIABLE WINDS — Light, shifting direction; under 7 kt
  • VEERING — Wind shifting clockwise (S→W→N)
  • BACKING — Wind shifting counter-clockwise (N→W→S)
  • Gusts — "GUSTS TO 35 KT" means short bursts above the base wind

Beaufort Scale Quick Ref

  • 0–6 kt — Calm to light air; drifting conditions
  • 7–10 kt — Light breeze; good for daysailing
  • 11–16 kt — Gentle to moderate breeze; ideal sailing
  • 17–21 kt — Fresh breeze; heel increases, consider reefing
  • 22–27 kt — Strong breeze; reef in; whitecaps; spray
  • 28–33 kt — Near gale; double reef; experienced crew only
  • 34–40 kt — Gale; storm sails; stay in if possible
  • 41+ kt — Storm to violent storm; seek shelter

Sea / Wave Terminology

  • SEAS 4 TO 6 FT — Significant wave height (average of the highest 1/3 of waves); expect some waves larger
  • WIND WAVES vs. SWELL — Wind waves are local, steep, choppy; swell is longer period, smoother, may come from a distant storm
  • PERIOD 8 TO 10 SECONDS — Time between wave crests; longer period = more organized, less choppy swell
  • COMBINED SEAS — Total of wind waves + swell height added together
  • HAZARDOUS SEAS — NOAA term for conditions dangerous for small craft

Warning Levels

  • Small Craft Advisory — Winds 21–33 kt and/or seas 4–8 ft (varies by region)
  • Gale Warning — Winds 34–47 kt
  • Storm Warning — Winds 48–63 kt
  • Hurricane Force Wind Warning — Winds 64 kt or more
  • Special Marine Warning — Short-duration hazards (squalls, waterspouts, thunderstorms); issued quickly
  • Hazardous Seas Warning — Wave heights dangerous for the specific zone regardless of wind

💻 Sailing Weather Resources

Forecasting & Routing Tools

  • Windy.com — Best free wind visualization; ECMWF + GFS; use for passage planning
  • Passage Weather — GFS marine forecasts with wave/wind overlays; great layout for sailors
  • PredictWind — Professional-grade marine routing; paid subscription for full features
  • SailFlow — Wind forecasts, live weather stations, and tidal predictions; popular with racers
  • OpenSkiron — Free WRF model forecasts including high-resolution coastal areas
  • Weather.us — Good GFS/ECMWF comparison side by side; free

NOAA Official Sources

Mobile Apps for Sailors

  • Windy (iOS/Android) — Free; the same data as the web version; best all-around sailing weather app
  • PredictWind Offshore — Full-featured routing; works offline; premium pricing
  • SailFlow — Good for racing; live weather stations near popular sailing areas
  • NOAA Weather (weather.gov app) — Official forecasts; free; text-based marine forecasts available
  • Avia Weather — Aviation/marine app with TAFs and METAR-style data; great for wind analysis
  • iSailor / Navionics — Chart plotters with integrated weather overlays; subscription
  • Weather Underground — Hyperlocal data from private stations; useful near busy harbors

Tide & Current Resources

  • NOAA Tide Predictions — Official station-by-station predictions; download tables for offline use
  • Tides.net — Free tide charts; easy to read format; good for quick checks
  • TidesChart.com — Global tide predictions with graphical display
  • USCG Local Notices to Mariners — Channel changes, new hazards, light discrepancies; updated weekly per district

Great Lakes Specific