When planning routes using the weather routing feature within PredictWind, users may encounter limitations in the availability of forecast data, especially for routes with start dates set far into the future. This article explains why these limitations occur and provides guidance on how to adjust your settings to access the desired data.
Understanding Forecast Data Limitations
Forecast models, including those used by PredictWind, can only provide data a certain number of days into the future. Here are the key points to understand:
Weather Routing Data: All forecast models provide data for a limited time frame, starting from the current time (NOW). For example, The ECMWF forecast model data set runs out 10 days from NOW, if your weather route's start date is 5 days from NOW , you will only see the ECMWF model data for 5 days before the data set is the ECMWF ensemble model, rather than a full dataset. This is because the forecast models prioritize accuracy within a shorter time window.
Wave Data: Wave forecasts are available for up to 10 days from the current time (NOW) If your route's start date is beyond this 10-day window, wave data will not appear in the routing results. This limitation ensures the reliability of the forecast data provided.
Adjusting Start Dates for Optimal Data Access
To ensure you have access to the most comprehensive and accurate forecast data, consider the following steps:
Set the Start Date Closer to the Current Time: Adjust your route's start date to NOW or within the next few days. This will allow the system to provide a full dataset, including all relevant forecast models.
Plan Within the Forecast Window: For wave data, ensure your route's start date is within the 10-day forecast window. This will enable the inclusion of wave heights and swell information in your routing results.
Why does my most recent weather routing not have any wave data?
There are a few reasons why you may be missing Wave data after running a weather route.
Do you have all your boat dimensions saved in your PredictWind account online? See https://help.predictwind.com/en/articles/5979677-weather-routing-for-sailboats-using-wave-polars for full set up instructions.
Roll, Vertical Acceleration and Slamming Incidence are included in the Professional Forecast Subscription. To see what Subscription you have, log into your PredictWind Forecast Account, Click Here.
Make sure you have Wave Polars enabled under Weather Routing Preferences in the PredictWind App, Forecast website and Offshore App.
Are you running a route to far into the future, the wave data at best only runs out 10 days from NOW. Try running a route with a start time of NOW, do you see the wave data.
If your upgrade to Professional was recent please run another Weather route making sure your Wave polars are enabled.