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.
A long high-latitude or transoceanic leg crosses forecast responsibilities and update cycles. Separate meteorology from current chart, ice, port and navigation warnings, and plan a dependable offshore receiving channel.
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
Estuary conditions, tides and open Atlantic approaches are separate checks.
Rio de la Plata combines river-estuary water levels, wind and two national coasts.
Use INUMET’s marine forecast and Argentine SMN/SHN products on their respective sides; compare water-level predictions and the port approach separately from offshore wind.
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.
Inner estuary, outer estuary, Atlantic coast
A Buenos Aires–Uruguay or Uruguay-to-Atlantic plan should label its actual water body and national side before selecting the weather text. INUMET's marine viewer is an entry point, while Argentine SHN lists separate Río de la Plata level, tide/current, wave and warning products. Do not use the offshore ocean issue as a substitute for the inner estuary, or a city forecast as a substitute for the marine leg.
- INUMET marine forecast entry point — Dynamic marine service; live issue was not extracted, old indexed PDF is not current. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
- Argentine SHN product directory — Río de la Plata water-level, tide/current, wave, ice and navigation-warning products.
Actual level can differ from the tide table
Use the current applicable water-level and alert products, with their own stations, references and valid times. A predicted astronomical tide is not automatically the total estuary level under the current weather and river conditions. The SHN catalogue distinguishes tide, current and total-water products; preserve those roles in the brief. Do not carry a correction or observation from one shore into another port without establishing its applicability.
An indexed PDF may be an old issue
The search-visible INUMET marine PDF encountered in this review was dated 2024; its warning status and weather are not current. Obtain the live issue and inspect its internal date, not just the file's familiar URL. For a crossing, reassess if the revised ETA enters a new wind/level regime or the destination product cannot be obtained. Unknown source freshness is a genuine limitation, not a reason to synthesise a confident all-clear.
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.