Creating a zone and selecting weather, wave and current models is one of the first things to do to prepare a navigation. But how to pick the ones you need when you’re just starting using Weather4D or if you are exploring a new area?
What kind of sailing are you up to?
Will you be cruising for several days without cellular coverage? Low resolution like GFS may be best. Are you prepping for a race on a relatively short distance? High resolution is more suited although it’s always a good idea to compare models.What about routing?
Routing involves not only weather but also wave and current models. It is important to combine them correctly because a wave model is calculated using wind as a parameter. It is better for instance to pick MFWAM for waves when choosing WRF or Arome for weather. Likewise, it will make more sense to use FNMOC WW3 Global with GFS.Here is the models cheat sheet
| Zone | Weather model | Wave model | Current model | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anywhere | GFS | FNMOC WW3 Global | MyOcean Global | Low |
| Anywhere | GEM | FNMOC WW3 Global | MyOcean Global | Medium |
| Anywhere | Arpège Global | MFWAM Global | MyOcean Global | Low |
| Azores | WRF Azores | MFWAM Europe | MyOcean Global | Medium |
| Canary Islands | WRF North Africa | MFWAM Europe | MyOcean IBI | Medium |
| Caribbean | Arome Antilles | MFWAM Global | NCOM AMSEAS | High |
| Central America | COAMPS Central America | FNMOC WW3 Global | NCOM AMSEAS | Medium |
| East Pacific | COAMPS East Pacific | FNMOC WW3 Global | NCOM ALASKA | Medium |
| Europe | COAMPS Europe | FNMOC WW3 Europe | MyOcean Global | Medium |
| Europe | Arppège Europe | MFWAM Europe | MyOcean Global | Medium |
| Europe | WRF Europe | MFWAM Europe | MyOcean Global | Medium |
| France | Arome | MFWAM France | MyOcean IBI MyOcean Med | High |
| France | Arome HD | MFWAM France | MyOcean IBI MyOcean Med | eXtra High |
| France | WRF France | MFWAM France | MyOcean IBI MyOcean Med | High |
| Greater Antilles | WRF Greater Antilles | MFWAM Global | NCOM AMSEAS | Medium |
| Greece | WRF Greece | MFWAM Europe | MyOcean Med | Medium |
| Guyanna | Arome Guyane | MFWAM Global | MyOcean Global | High |
| Lesser Antilles | WRF Lesser Antilles | MFWAM Global | NCOM AMSEAS | Medium |
| Madagascar | Arome Indien | MFWAM Global | MyOcean Global | High |
| New Caledonia | Arome Calédonie | MFWAM Global | MyOcean Global | High |
| North America | NAM | FNMOC WW3 Global | NCOM | Medium |
| Polynesia | Arome Polynésie | MFWAM Global | MyOcean Global | High |
| West Atlantic | COAMPS West Atlantic | FNMOC WW3 Europe | NCOM USEAST | Medium |
How does it look like on maps?
