This is a pre-passage source and decision desk, not a current forecast or clearance to depart. The map is centred approximately on the area, not on your route or a forecast-zone boundary.
Find each named coastal, offshore, bay or lake zone along the route. For inlets, bars and tidal narrows add current local notices and observations; an offshore wave forecast does not describe the entrance.
1. Primary sources
Open current bulletins and warnings for every sea area on the route. These links are starting points, not a promise that each covers the whole location; if unsure, identify the issuer through WMO–IMO.
2. Route and local effects
Straits and island channels need a local zone beyond the offshore synopsis.
San Juan island channels, Juan de Fuca Strait and nearby Pacific waters are different forecast zones.
Use NOAA and Environment Canada on their respective sides; add tidal-current and visibility checks for the actual narrow passage.
How to use this source set
Start with the warning, then the marine text for the exact named area. If the route crosses a zone boundary, obtain both bulletins. Note issue and valid times, wind units and the meaning of wave height. Where a link opens an agency portal, navigate to its current marine product; a homepage is not itself a forecast.
Compare with an exposed station or buoy if available. Check its position and observation time: a sheltered station does not overturn a warning for an open channel. If a bulletin is missing or stale, identify the issuing service via WMO–IMO and defer the decision until current information is available.
Before-passage check
- Mark departure, exposed legs, arrival and feasible diversions; find the responsible named marine areas for each.
- Check warnings, issue and valid times; assess conditions when you expect to reach each leg, not only at departure.
- Compare wind and gusts, waves and swell, visibility, thunderstorms and local effects; do not infer a strait from a sheltered harbour.
- Compare recent observations where available, noting their time and exposure; a mismatch calls for another check.
- Set the next bulletin check, a reassessment trigger, an alternative and a backup communication channel.
Model map — optional
Windy is a third-party model display, not the issuer of official warnings. Choose a layer and check its valid hour and model run. Nothing loads until you click.
Without JavaScript, open the map separately.
If connectivity fails
Before departure, save the current official text bulletin and warning with issue time. Arrange another way to receive updates, such as an appropriate coastal broadcast, NAVTEX or satellite channel. A saved map cannot replace new warnings.
How to choose weather tools · All sailing areas
Scope: Source list assembled 25 September 2026; check its freshness and coverage before use. This public area guide is not a current personalised forecast, navigational notice service or safety verdict. Personalised forecasts with AI and experts are in closed testing; public booking is not open. The skipper makes the decision.
San Juan islands, Juan de Fuca and outer coast are distinct
The Seattle directory separately identifies northern inland waters including the San Juan Islands, the west/central/east US portions of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty Inlet and outer coastal waters. Read the actual current zone descriptions, not just an island label. For a border-crossing itinerary add Environment Canada's relevant district and its warnings. One strait forecast should not be stretched into every island channel.
- NWS Seattle marine zones — Juan de Fuca, San Juan islands, inland waters and outer coast; product boundaries remain distinct.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada marine — Canadian marine districts including Pacific and Great Lakes.
Slack water belongs to the passage, not the nearest town
Obtain the current prediction for the actual tidal passage where one is available, including the reference location and time convention. NOAA and Canadian hydrographic sources separate current predictions from water-level predictions; do not infer slack solely from high or low water. Check wind direction against the stream and keep visibility as a separate constraint. A current map and a shore anemometer describe different evidence.
- NOAA CO-OPS Tides and Currents — Separate measured water levels, tide predictions, current predictions and model forecasts.
- Canadian Hydrographic Service current predictions — Station-specific slack and maximum-current predictions; annual publications prevail on discrepancy.
A missed passage time can change the whole itinerary
For a San Juan loop or Canada-bound leg, rerun the passage time after a slower-speed scenario. If the intended transit is missed, ask whether waiting is actually possible without creating an unplanned exposed arrival or an unverified entrance. Reassess the itinerary before committing to the constricted leg. Keep US and Canadian issue times distinct, and avoid using a favourable model hour to overrule an applicable warning.
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.
- United States
Choose a bay, coastal, offshore, Great Lakes or ocean product for the actual track.