News.

Real-Time Lightning Tracking Has Arrived!
We are excited to introduce you to our all new Lightning feature, the most comprehensive and accurate lightning network worldwide. By using real-time observations, along with the forecast, you can make better decisions to stay safe on your next passage.

We’ve also been hard at work upgrading our existing features to give you even greater protection when out on the water.

Supercharged Satellite Imagery.
In a world-first, you can now see satellite imagery combined with rain radar, and GMDSS weather warnings. Cross reference these three sources to accurately locate and track extreme weather events such as cyclones, thunderstorms, fronts and more.

Be warned in advance.
The forecast tables and daily briefing pages have built in extreme weather alerts to warn you of potentially dangerous conditions. These include:
- Lightning Index
- Cape Index for Thunderstorms
- Rain Squalls
- High Gusts
- Fog
- Wind Chill
- Wind against current

Wind against Tidal Current warnings.
The Wind Against Current alert within the Weather Routing and Departure Planning features now includes Tidal Currents along with Ocean Currents. Alerts give you the time and location of dangerous wave conditions that Wind Against Tide can cause, so you can keep your boat and crew safe.

See further ahead with GMDSS Map upgrades.
Using AI we translate the GMDSS text forecasts into a map view to display:
- Thunderstorms
- High and low pressure systems
- Troughs, ridges and fronts
- Ice
- Tropical depressions, storms and cyclones.
Initially the map had an outlook of 12 hours, but now you can view all future alerts in the GMDSS forecasts.

Climate Data
You can now see the average wind, wave and weather conditions, month by month, for any location in the world, with our new Climate Data feature. View the rolling averages from the last 10 years of historic ECMWF weather data so you can confidently choose the best time of year for your next adventure.

View historical weather patterns.
Wind and wave roses display the rolling 10-year average for each month, alongside other weather parameters, giving you insights into how the conditions vary throughout the year.
- Wind (Wind rose)
- Wave (Wave rose)
- Air temperature
- Rainfall
- Wave height
- Sea surface temperature
- Cloud coverage
- Highest gusts
- Thunderstorm probability

What is a wind rose?
A wind rose is a graphical tool that shows the frequency and direction of winds at a particular location over a set period. The longer the spokes radiating from the center, the more frequently winds blow from that direction, with color coding used to indicate wind speed.

Understand seasonal variability.
See how weather patterns change across the seasons, and find the best months for calmer or more consistent wind conditions.

Plan ahead.
Climate Data offers valuable information on regions prone to extreme weather conditions like storms or high winds during certain months, helping you steer clear of these dangerous locations.

Use the most current data.
We have eliminated possible inaccuracies due to climate change, by only using the most recent 10 years of data. Many pilot charts are unreliable because they use outdated data.

Learn about your destination.
In addition to Climate Data, our Local Knowledge feature is a great way to learn more about your destination with detailed insights on over 31,650 points of interest.
- 8,499 moorings and anchorages
- 11,326 marinas and harbours
- 3,233 boat ramps
- 1,552 navigational tips
- Plus many more locations, amenities, and activities.

Real-Time Lightning Tracking Has Arrived!
We are excited to introduce you to our all new Lightning feature, the most comprehensive and accurate lightning network worldwide. By using real-time observations, along with the forecast, you can make better decisions to stay safe on your next passage.

We’ve also been hard at work upgrading our existing features to give you even greater protection when out on the water.

Supercharged Satellite Imagery.
In a world-first, you can now see satellite imagery combined with rain radar, and GMDSS weather warnings. Cross reference these three sources to accurately locate and track extreme weather events such as cyclones, thunderstorms, fronts and more.

Be warned in advance.
The forecast tables and daily briefing pages have built in extreme weather alerts to warn you of potentially dangerous conditions. These include:
- Lightning Index
- Cape Index for Thunderstorms
- Rain Squalls
- High Gusts
- Fog
- Wind Chill
- Wind against current

Wind against Tidal Current warnings.
The Wind Against Current alert within the Weather Routing and Departure Planning features now includes Tidal Currents along with Ocean Currents. Alerts give you the time and location of dangerous wave conditions that Wind Against Tide can cause, so you can keep your boat and crew safe.

See further ahead with GMDSS Map upgrades.
Using AI we translate the GMDSS text forecasts into a map view to display:
- Thunderstorms
- High and low pressure systems
- Troughs, ridges and fronts
- Ice
- Tropical depressions, storms and cyclones.
Initially the map had an outlook of 12 hours, but now you can view all future alerts in the GMDSS forecasts.

Real-Time Lightning Tracking Has Arrived!
November 15, 2024

IMOCA and PredictWind Partner for the 2024 and 2025 Racing Seasons.
We are delighted to announce our partnership with IMOCA, one of the fastest and most thrilling offshore yacht racing classes, as the Official Weather Supplier for 2024 and 2025. We are proud to support the world’s most prestigious classes by providing forecast data to assist competitors with their strategy and ensure safety while racing on the open ocean.

About the IMOCA Class.
Founded in 1991 and recognized by World Sailing (the International Sailing Federation) since 1998, the International Monohull Open Class Association (IMOCA) manages the Class of 60-foot (18.28-meter) Open monohulls. IMOCA sets the rules to ensure fair competition while promoting innovation and the safety of the boats.
In 2018, IMOCA launched the IMOCA Globe Series. The Championship brings together the most prestigious ocean races, challenging sailors in solo, double-handed, and fully-crewed formats aboard high-performance IMOCA 60 yachts. For the first time in history, this championship unites two iconic round-the-world events: the legendary Vendée Globe, a solo, non-stop, and unassisted race, and The Ocean Race, a grueling crewed competition. Spanning four years, the championship features 18 thrilling races across more than 13 countries, pushing the limits of endurance, teamwork, and innovation in offshore sailing.
The prestigious Vendée Globe.
The Vendée Globe is a single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world sailing race that takes place every four years and is contested on 18 metre IMOCA monohulls. The skippers set off from Les Sables-d'Olonne in Vendée and round the three legendary capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and finally Cape Horn) before returning to Les Sables d'Olonne. The race attracts professional skippers from all over the world, and is above all else an incredible feat of human determination and adventure.

IMOCA and PredictWind Partner for the 2024 and 2025 Racing Seasons.
November 14, 2024

Climate Data
You can now see the average wind, wave and weather conditions, month by month, for any location in the world, with our new Climate Data feature. View the rolling averages from the last 10 years of historic ECMWF weather data so you can confidently choose the best time of year for your next adventure.

View historical weather patterns.
Wind and wave roses display the rolling 10-year average for each month, alongside other weather parameters, giving you insights into how the conditions vary throughout the year.
- Wind (Wind rose)
- Wave (Wave rose)
- Air temperature
- Rainfall
- Wave height
- Sea surface temperature
- Cloud coverage
- Highest gusts
- Thunderstorm probability

What is a wind rose?
A wind rose is a graphical tool that shows the frequency and direction of winds at a particular location over a set period. The longer the spokes radiating from the center, the more frequently winds blow from that direction, with color coding used to indicate wind speed.

Understand seasonal variability.
See how weather patterns change across the seasons, and find the best months for calmer or more consistent wind conditions.

Plan ahead.
Climate Data offers valuable information on regions prone to extreme weather conditions like storms or high winds during certain months, helping you steer clear of these dangerous locations.

Use the most current data.
We have eliminated possible inaccuracies due to climate change, by only using the most recent 10 years of data. Many pilot charts are unreliable because they use outdated data.

Learn about your destination.
In addition to Climate Data, our Local Knowledge feature is a great way to learn more about your destination with detailed insights on over 31,650 points of interest.
- 8,499 moorings and anchorages
- 11,326 marinas and harbours
- 3,233 boat ramps
- 1,552 navigational tips
- Plus many more locations, amenities, and activities.

Climate Data
October 4, 2024

Double your insight with Split Screen Maps
We are excited to introduce the all new Split Screen map feature. This powerful tool allows you to view two maps side by side, to compare different weather and ocean data seamlessly. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the conditions that matter most to you has never been easier.
View Split Screen Feature

Unlimited weather combinations.
Split Screen now allows you to view critical weather combinations such as:
Wind + Current - Avoid rough sea states.
Wind + Gust - Big variation means unstable conditions.
Rain + Gust - Spot rain squalls.
Rain + Cape - Locate the potential for thunderstorms.
SST + Current - Find favourable fishing conditions.
Wave + Current - Avoid rough sea states.
Cloud + Rain - See how widespread the rain will be.
Air Temp + Rain - Locate cold and warm fronts.

Forecast Maps just got easier.
Our new 'Maps' feature in the menu now combines all the forecast maps into one place. With just a few clicks, you can now select your preferred forecast, model, resolution, and more directly from the dropdown menu.

Customize your map view.
Combine the power of our Split Screen Map with a variety of dynamic overlays. These include detailed graphical GMDSS forecasts, wind streamlines, colour contours with arrows, and wind barbs. Set up your maps the way you like them so you can make informed decisions quickly and confidently.

Map Animation Upgrades.
We’re continuing to invest in our visualization tools with a 3x performance upgrade to our map animations. Streamline motion is now smoother than ever and makes viewing the forecast maps a breeze.

Double your insight with Split Screen Maps
September 6, 2024

New America’s Cup Race Weather Center
We are excited to announce that PredictWind is the Official Weather Data Supplier of the 37th America’s Cup, taking place in Barcelona later this month. It’s our pleasure to provide weather forecasts and observation data for the world’s most prestigious sailing event, and aide each team with their planning and race strategy.

Get detailed weather forecasts for every race.
Check out our Race Weather Center for the official inside scoop on the weather for every America’s Cup race. See detailed weather breakdowns from former America's Cup Team Meteorologist, Arnaud Monges, check live wind and wave observations and webcams, or dive into a minute by minute playback of the weather for all previous races, along with race media and highlights.
Visit the FREE Race Weather Center

Exclusive new weather observations and webcams.
We’ve installed five official weather stations around the race area including a wave buoy and two webcams. These provide critical real-time data to the America's Cup teams and are also available for all PredictWind customers on Basic subscriptions and above.
Use the same forecasts and tools as the world’s best sailors.


Women’s and Youth America’s Cups.
Alongside the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup, we are proud to support the first ever PUIG Women’s and UniCredit Youth America’s Cup teams with weather forecasts and live observation data.

See the race course on our maps.
Select ‘America’s Cup’ in the PredictWind App menu, to see the race course area, your device’s gps location and designated area for spectator boats. The map will automatically update, depending on which of the four race courses is chosen by officials, each race day.

New America’s Cup Race Weather Center
August 26, 2024

New hi-res locations and upgrades.
We are thrilled to announce new upgrades to our ocean and tidal current maps. These enhancements are designed to provide you with even more accurate and detailed information for your next adventure.
Ultra high resolution for the Olympic Games.

We’ve just released a 100m ultra high-resolution model for Marseille, the sailing venue for the Paris 2024 Olympics. As the location has negligible tidal flow, we model the effect of wind and the density difference in the water column to create the worlds most advanced current model for this location. View it by selecting the 100m resolution in Current Maps.
Improved Tidal and Ocean Current merging.

The convergence zone between the high resolution tidal currents and the low resolution ocean currents now has more accurate interpolation, fixing inaccuracies that were present in the initial release.
Compare Ocean Current models.

You can now view Ocean Current from three different sources - Mercator, Hycom and RTFOS. This feature displays the raw Ocean Current data so you compare the differences between each of the three models.
New ultra high resolution regions.

So far this year, we have added the following 100m resolution locations:
- Bay of Fundy, Canada
- Elliot Bay, WA, USA
- Oak Harbor WA, USA
- Hood River OR, USA
- San Francisco CA, USA
- Marseille, France
- Derwent, Australia
- Lyttleton, New Zealand
- Bay of Islands, New Zealand
- View the full coverage map
These additions enhance our coverage and provide more localized and accurate current data for these regions.

New hi-res locations and upgrades.
July 19, 2024
In the News
Press Releases
PredictWind Introduces AI Polars
PredictWind, the world leader in marine forecasting, has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation that will redefine the future of weather routing with Automated AI Polars.
Sailors know that no two boats – or skippers – are alike. Recognising this, PredictWind's AI Polars are engineered to optimise routing based on your boat's real-time data combined with your distinctive sailing habits. By understanding your boat's behaviour in all wind and wave conditions, the AI Polar automatically adjusts to give you more accurate routes than ever.
Previously, personalised polars were the exclusive domain of elite navigators. PredictWind has now made it easy and intuitive for every sailor. "With our AI Polars, we are bridging the gap between professional navigators and recreational sailors. Now everyone can benefit from hyper-accurate, tailored weather routing," says Jon Bilger from PredictWind.
Using this feature is as easy as plugging in the PredictWind DataHub to your boat’s instruments and activating AI Polars. The technology springs into action, capturing and interpreting vital data points like boat speed, wave conditions, true wind speed, and true wind angle. In addition, hydrodynamic modelling intricately predicts your boat's movement. In addition, the weather routing predicts the performance effect of the waves on the routing, offering the most precise routing output available.
With the inclusion of wave conditions and individual comfort preferences, PredictWind ensures not just optimal but also comfortable routing. AI Polars also guarantees accurate data by smartly filtering out times when the boat is anchored, motoring, or motor sailing.
Once activated, AI Polars aren’t static. They evolve, consistently harnessing new data to refine and perfect your personal boat polar, enhancing precision with every nautical mile you cover.
PredictWind continues to lead the marine forecasting frontier, reaffirming its commitment to bringing professional-grade tools to sailors everywhere. With the launch of AI Polars, the horizon has never looked more clear and personalised.
For more details, visit PredictWind's official website or reach out to nickolson@predictwind.com
GO Exec
Press Release: Iridium GO! exec® Now Available from PredictWind
PredictWind, the world-leading provider of weather and routing services for the marine industry, is proud to announce the availability of the Iridium GO! exec. This device is the most versatile unit in the satellite phone market with its increased data speeds, improved functionality, and competitive pricing.
What makes the GO! exec unique for the marine user is the low power draw, battery backup and portability coupled with the improved speeds over its predecessor. The GO! exec allows the user to get more weather data while offshore, while retaining key safety features. The IP65 water rating and ability to make voice calls directly from the unit, with a sealed battery, make this unit life-raft capable and an essential safety device.
We’re excited that the GO! exec offers increased data speeds for our customers at a really competitive price point. Our exclusive Unlimited Plan provides unlimited data for PredictWind services and pre-paid data for when you want full internet access. This means you never have to worry about getting bill shock again, and you’ll always have data for services while offshore.
Keryn McMaster, Support Team Manager at PredictWind, says, "Customers can now download larger forecast maps and more weather layers with minimal download time. They can also view national met office weather warnings overlaid on any of our weather maps, real-time observations from land stations and yachts, ocean and tidal currents, satellite imagery, and real-time boat positions via the AIS Network. All this data means our users can make better decisions to keep their crew and vessel safe offshore."
The PredictWind DataHub seamlessly integrates with the Iridium GO! exec to enable GPS tracking, allowing friends and family to see the boat's position on a map and check its progress, and view blog posts and photos in real time. The DataHub also shares wind speed and direction, directly from the boat's instrumentation to the GPS tracking webpage.
PredictWind Weather Routing has transformed the way cruisers get weather offshore. With the Iridium GO! exec, weather routing calculations are even faster and more accurate. "Gigabytes of data are used in the PredictWind cloud to calculate the route in a compact file that is less than 1% of the equivalent GRIB data," says Jon. "This data saving is a game-changer for low-speed satellite connections, and is now even faster to acquire with the Iridium GO! exec."
The Iridium GO! exec also allows real-time updating of the boat's polar, using machine learning techniques to produce an extremely accurate polar for the boat in all conditions. This, combined with real-time wave routing, gives the user the best possible data to inform their decision-making while offshore.
With its permanent internet connection, the Iridium GO! exec has also enabled PredictWind to develop its new Anchor Alert App. This app monitors the movement of the boat's GPS location, wind speed, direction, depth, and other NMEA 2000 data, alerting the user if conditions change or become unsafe.
"We truly believe the Iridium GO! exec is a quantum leap forward in terms of functionality and safety and is an essential device for any boat venturing offshore," says Jon. With its increased data speeds and safety features, the Iridium GO! exec is the perfect go-anywhere device for customers who need to stay connected while on the water.
Find out more about the Iridium GO! exec here
https://www.predictwind.com/iridium-go-exec/
Launch Video
Features Video
Contact nickolson@predictwind.com for press or promotion inquiries.
Iridium GO! exec®
Press Release: PredictWind Launches the Iridium GO! exec
PredictWind, the world leading provider of weather and routing services for the marine industry, is proud to announce the launch of the Iridium GO! exec. This device is set to revolutionise the satellite phone market with its increased data speeds, improved functionality, and competitive pricing.
"The Iridium GO! was a game-changer for the satellite phone market," says Jon Bilger, CEO of PredictWind. "For the first time, people could connect their own device to the web while offshore. Although the Unlimited plan was cost-effective, the data speeds really limited its use to just email and weather. This is why we are so excited about the GO! exec. With 40 times faster download speeds, there are now so many exciting possibilities for customers, anywhere on the ocean."
Keryn McMaster, Support Team Manager at PredictWind, says, "Customers can now download larger forecast maps and more weather layers with minimal download time. They can also view national met office weather warnings overlaid on any of our weather maps, real-time observations from land stations and yachts, ocean and tidal currents, satellite imagery and real-time boat positions via the AIS Network. All this data means our users can make better decisions to keep their crew and vessel safe offshore."
The PredictWind DataHub seamlessly integrates with the Iridium GO! exec to enable GPS tracking, allowing friends and family to see the boat's position on a map and check its progress, blog posts and photos in real-time. The DataHub also shares wind speed and direction, directly from the boat's instrumentation to the GPS tracking webpage
PredictWind Weather Routing has transformed the way cruisers get weather offshore. With the Iridium GO! exec, weather routing calculations are even faster and more accurate. "Gigabytes of data are used in the PredictWind cloud to calculate the route in a compact file that is less than 1% of the equivalent GRIB data," says Jon. "This data saving is a game-changer for low-speed satellite connections and is now even faster to acquire with the GO! exec."
The Iridium GO! exec also allows real-time updating of the boat's polars, using machine learning techniques to produce an extremely accurate polar for the boat in all conditions. This, combined with real-time wave routing, gives the user the best possible data to inform their decision-making while offshore.
With its permanent internet connection, the Iridium GO! exec has also enabled PredictWind to develop its new Anchor Alert App. This app monitors the movement of the boat's GPS location, wind speed, direction, depth, and other NMEA 2000 data, alerting the user if conditions change or become unsafe.
"We're excited that the Iridium GO! exec offers increased data speeds for our customers at a really competitive price point," says Keryn. "The flexibility of the yearly plans is perfect for our
core customer base who cruise for 3-6 months and only require the exec during their offshore passages. The data allowance doesn't expire monthly, so it's always ready to go when they start their next passage."
"We truly believe the Iridium GO! exec is a quantum leap forward in terms of functionality and safety and an essential device for any boat venturing offshore," says Jon. With its increased data speeds and global coverage, the Iridium GO! exec is the perfect go-anywhere device for customers who need to stay connected while on the water.
Find out more about the Iridium GO! exec here https://www.predictwind.com/iridium-go-exec/
Launch Video
Features Video
Contact nickolson@predictwind.com for press or promotion enquiries.