There is a wealth of weather-related information on the web. Below we look at some key sources for boat users:

The Top 5 Weather Apps

1. The Met Office

The best starting point for any UK coastal boater is the website of the government-owned Met Office, and specifically the site's Marine section.

The inshore waters forecast, for coastal waters up to 12 miles offshore, provides details of wind, sea state, weather and visibility for 19 different areas of the British Isles. Forecasts are issued four times a day and cover the next 24 hours. There is also an outlook for the following 24 hours. As you would expect, the Met Office website contains a number of other features of interest to boaters, including a section entitled 'Will it rain today?' that provides a rainfall forecast map for the UK.

2. XC Weather

XC Weather is a service popular with many boaters. It offers an easy-to-use interactive map of the UK and Ireland, showing wind speeds, visibility, temperature, pressure and weather conditions. In common with a number of other weather websites, XC Weather's forecasts are based on the Global Forecasting System, a model run by the US government.

3. Metcheck

Metcheck, a service largely run by volunteers, offers a huge array of forecast weather data, and not just for the British Isles. It has a section aimed specifically at UK sailors, which enables you to select weather forecasts by inshore area or from a list of over 100 sailing clubs.

4. WeatherWeb Dot Net

A service with a particular emphasis on long-range forecasts is Weatherwebdotnet. While its website contains a certain amount of free information, you really need to subscribe to its premium service, costing £13.95 per month, to get the best from it. (You can sign up for a free three-day trial.)

Premium services include a Sailing Weather Information Service covering the UK, Ireland, Europe and parts of the Atlantic. In addition, you can seek to improve your understanding of weather patterns from the company's Weather School videos.

5. Windguru

Windguru is a Czech-based service aimed primarily at windsurfers and kitesurfers, though it is much used by sailors and even power boaters. It claims to be able to forecast the wind anywhere on earth. Its free-to-use website is funded by adverts, but you can avoid the ads and gain some additional features by subscribing to its Pro service for €19.90 per year.

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