Forecast and Superforecast
What is the Forecast?
The Forecast is based on the GFS model. Forecasts are available worldwide. The horizontal resolution is about 13 km. Forecasts are computed 4 times a day, at about 5h, 11h, 17h and 23h UTC. Predictions are available in time steps of 3 hours for up to 10 days into the future.
What is the Superforecast?
The Superforecast for Europe is based on the newest versions of regional weather prediction models. At the moment the Superforecast is available for Europe in a horizontal resolution of 7 kilometers in hourly timesteps. The forecasts are generated four times a day, at about 1:15h, 7:15h, 13:15h and 19:15h UTC. There is no time delay, all values are presented as they become available from our computers. The Superforecast for Northern America covers North America with a horizontal resolution of 5 kilometers in hourly timesteps. Forecasts are generated at about 4:00h, 10:00h, 16:00h and 22:00h UTC.
The Superforecast for Egypt uses a 7km resolution in hourly timesteps. The forecast are updated at about 1:30h, 7:30h, 13:30h and 19:30h UTC.
The Superforecast for South Africa uses a 5km resolution in hourly timesteps. The forecast are updated at about 1:15h, 7:15h, 13:15h and 19:15h UTC.
The Superforecast for the Canary Islands uses a 5km resolution in hourly timesteps. The forecast are updated at about 1:30h, 7:30h, 13:30h and 19:30h UTC.
The Superforecast for Egypt uses a 7km resolution in hourly timesteps. The forecast are updated at about 1:30h, 7:30h, 13:30h and 19:30h UTC.
The Superforecast for South Africa uses a 5km resolution in hourly timesteps. The forecast are updated at about 1:15h, 7:15h, 13:15h and 19:15h UTC.
The Superforecast for the Canary Islands uses a 5km resolution in hourly timesteps. The forecast are updated at about 1:30h, 7:30h, 13:30h and 19:30h UTC.
What is the exact covered area of the Superforecast for Europe and North America?
You can find the covered area of the Superforecast for Europe and North America here:
Why are the forecasts sometimes inaccurate?
We always want to present you the best forecasts. Unfortunately, the forecasts for some spots and some wind directions are not as good as we want them to be. There are local effects and thermal influences at these spots, which are very hard to predict. If you surf for many years at your local spot you may know these peculiarities. But we are already working on this problem.
It is also possible that the general weather situation is very unstable, so that all numerical weather prediction models have problems forecasting the development of the weather situation. The path of pressure systems (high / low pressure) is crucial for the wind conditions. The computation of this path can be wrong if there are unstable weather situations.
Further the forecast quality declines with longer forecast horizons (e.g. 3 days or longer). This is a general problem with weather prediction models.
It is also possible that the general weather situation is very unstable, so that all numerical weather prediction models have problems forecasting the development of the weather situation. The path of pressure systems (high / low pressure) is crucial for the wind conditions. The computation of this path can be wrong if there are unstable weather situations.
Further the forecast quality declines with longer forecast horizons (e.g. 3 days or longer). This is a general problem with weather prediction models.
Why are there different values for Forecast and Superforecast?
Forecast and Superforecast are based on different physical models. These models may predict the weather dynamics in different ways which results in different wind forecasts. Different values are a sign for the stability of the general weather situation.
Which one is better, Forecast or Superforecast?
Because of the better horizontal resolution, a more advanced physical model and a more detailed terrain model the Superforecast should be preferred. In addition, all predicted values are available in hourly timesteps.
In general, you have to look for your local spot which forecast model works better for you. For some spots this will be the Superforecast, for others this may also be the Forecast.
In general, you have to look for your local spot which forecast model works better for you. For some spots this will be the Superforecast, for others this may also be the Forecast.
For which height is the weather predicted?
In the spot/location forecast and on the forecast maps the wind speed and direction is predicted for 10 meters above ground. Air temperature and relative humidity is predicted for 2 meters above ground and all the other parameters are predicted for ground level.
How should I interpret the wind direction arrows?
The arrows are aligned with the wind stream direction. Example: a northerly wind (e.g. a wind that is coming from the north, blowing to the south) is indicated with an arrow pointing downward.
Are predicted wind directions given in true or magnetic degrees?
Predicted wind directions use true north as the reference.
How do you compute wind gust?
The wind gusts are computed by our forecast models. The forecasted values correspond to the maximum wind gusts at the given time.
How do you compute air pressure?
The air pressure is measured at the elevation of the weather station. The forecasted air pressure is calculated for the elevation of the location.
How should I interpret the precipitation values?
The precipitation is given in an amount per time span. The precipitation amount is accumulated in the time span before the forecast time is valid. The time span length depends on the used forecast model (Forecast or Superforecast).
What is the colored bar above the forecasts?
This is the Windfinder Windpreview. This tool allows you to view the current wind forecast at a glance. The colors and bar heights correspond to the forecasted wind speed - this allows you to quickly see days with high or low wind speeds. Click on one of the days to see the detailed forecast for the selected day.
What is the meaning of the colors?
The colors indicate the wind speed. Here is the used wind speed scale (all values are given in Knots):
- 0
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
- 30
- 32
- 34
- 36
- 38
- 40
- 42
- 44
- 46
- 48
- 50
- > 50
What do the symbols and icons mean?
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Sky clear (cloud cover < 10%)
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Few clouds (cloud cover < 25%)
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Scattered (cloud cover < 50%)
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Broken (cloud cover < 87.5%)
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Overcast (cloud cover > 87.5%)
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Rain, 2 mm (0.07 inch)
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Snow, 4 mm (0.15 inch)
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Rainsnow or hail, 8 mm (0.31 inch)
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High tide
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Ebbing
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Low tide
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Flooding
Are the timestamps in local or UTC time?
All date and time values are in local time of the weather station.
Do you archive forecasts?
We do not archive raw forecast data, we only archive measurements from our weather stations. If you want to receive past weather data, have a look at our historical weather data request page.
The forecasts do not update!
If the weather data does not update please click on the "Reload" button of your browser. If that does not help press and hold the "shift" key on your keyboard and click on the "Reload" button of your browser. You can also try to clear the browser cache.
Why are there two temperature values shown?
We show the real / observed temperature as well as the "feels like" temperature, also known as the perceived temperature. This value gives you an idea how much colder it is due to wind chill and humidity. On our calculator page, you can check out the perceived temperature, e.g. how high humidity impacts on how hot you perceive an air temperature: https://www.windfinder.com/wind/windspeed.htm.
Next topic:
Severe weather warnings