Weather
- Weather runs your life in the Bahamas. No land-based experience is like it. It is not unusual to spend an hour or more a day listening to weather reports and reviewing weather data wether in an anchorage with some exposure, preparing to move, or in transit.
- While there are many sources of weather data available, weather data alone is insufficient - advice of an experience forecaster / router is a necessity as the “bad stuff” often evolves from subtleties beyond the analytical powers of most cruisers.
- The best source of weather advice in the Bahamas, as attested to by most cruisers, is from Chris Parker / Marine Weather Center. Daily SSB forecasts are provided. Listening is free. Asking questions about your specific needs requires a subscription to the service. Email forecast summaries are also available for a subscription fee. Phone: 863-248-2702 Email: chis@mwxc.com. Advice: pay a subscription fee and become a sponsoring vessel!
Weather Sources for the Bahamas
- Bahamas Department of Meteorology. Forecasts, radar satellite imagery, tide tables.
- Barometer Bob. Weather on the web for the Abacos.
- Marine Weather Center. Chris Parker; 863-248-2702; chris@mwxc.com. Provides weather for the Bahamas and Caribbean via SSB, email, and webcast.
- Cruisers Nets: Nets in both the Abacos and in George Town provide a weather segment in their broadcasts. See directory pages for those areas for more information.
- In the Exumas, Highborne Cay Marina provides morning weather reports on VHF.
- Bouy Weather.
- Passage Weather.
- Windfinder.
- Predict Wind.
Weather Sources on SSB
- BASRA; weather broadcast at 0720; 4003 kHz, USB.
- Waterway Net; weather broadcast at 0745; 7268 KHz LSB Simplex (A General FCC license in required to transmit on this frequency); commodore@waerwayradio.net
- Marine Weather Center. Chris Parker; 863-248-2702; chris@mwxc.com. Provides weather for the Bahamas and Caribbean via SSB, email, and webcast.
NOAA Weather Data
- NOAA 7-day. NOAA synoptic weather charts / view for US; includes Bahamas. A good java-script animation.
- National Data Buoy Center. Directory of data buoys.
- National Mariners Log - The Mariners Weather Log (MWL), a publication of the National Weather Service (NWS), contains articles, news and information about marine weather events and phenomena, storms at sea, weather forecasting.
- NOAA text weather forecast. Provides location of W edge of Gulf Stream.
- NOAA Ocean Prediction Center. Synoptic charts.
Weather for Crossing between Florida & Bahamas
- Weather Undeground
- Books on Weather
- Costal and Offshore Weather, the Essential Handbook, Chris Parker, 4th Edition, 2007, The Marine Weather Center. Chris does a superb job of describing the principal factors that drive weather patterns in the Bahamas. He also provides an excellent review of weather communication technology and services.
- GRIB Files and Viewers
- Free GRIB service and ENC chart viewer for the Mac from PolarNavy for downloading GRIB files over the internet. Both GFS and NWW3 data sets are available.
- Free GRIB service and viewer (Windows only at the moment) from grib.us for downloading GRIB files over the internet.