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.
Sea-area bulletins and archipelago or fjord conditions have different scales. In season, check ice and sea-level products; in narrow passages also examine current and visibility, not only mean wind.
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
Compare named sea areas with forecasts for the coastal approach and narrow straits.
Skagerrak and Kattegat connect several national sea areas and change from open-water exposure to narrow approaches.
Compare DMI, SMHI and MET Norway for their respective sectors; note timing of wind against current and the forecast boundary at each crossing.
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.
Treat the connection as three exposure types
A passage joining the Norwegian coast, Skagerrak and Kattegat should distinguish outer sea, a coastal approach and any onward strait. Match MET Norway, DMI and SMHI products to their actual areas rather than blending their country forecasts. Sea-state direction can change the comfort comparison between the open leg and the final sheltered coast. Keep the transition between forecast responsibilities visible at the planned time-position sequence.
- MET Norway sea and High North — Marine services, fairway waves, water levels and links to the Norwegian Ice Service.
- DMI water-level interpretation — Measured versus forecast level, vertical reference and limits of automated curves.
- SMHI sea-weather services — Shipping/sea-coast forecasts, coastal observations, water-level/wave and ice products.
A strait-current display needs interpretation
The current question is not settled by a tide height at a nearby harbour. Select the applicable model or observing source, retain its valid time and allow for weather-driven water movement as well as any tidal component. DMI's level guidance does not turn a water-height curve into a current measurement. Avoid writing 'slack at high water' unless a current local publication establishes that relation for the specific passage.
- DMI water-level interpretation
- BSH modelled surface currents — Hourly operational model currents include tidal and wind-driven components; inspect date.
Rebrief when the outer-leg timing shifts
Compare departure changes against the entire crossing and destination approach under slower progress. If a frontal change or visibility deterioration reaches the open leg earlier than expected, inspect the new sea-state and local warning picture before continuing. A closer coast is not necessarily a suitable refuge from the forecast direction. Preserve the last confirmed shelter, remaining endurance and next realistic update as separate planning fields.
- MET Norway sea and High North
- DMI water-level interpretation
- RYA passage planning — Practitioner guidance on contingency, tides, vessel and crew constraints.
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.