As impressed as I have been with the forecasts that I get from Windy.com they are still just that, forecasts. They are models of reality. Imperfect attempts to represent and predict reality. But, if you really want to know what is happening you need to get your boots on and do the ground (or water) research. Though, this is not always feasible or can be too time-consuming.
Last week, I was reminded of this all when I interpreted the forecast to be favourable when it was not. Fortunately, I had checked a web camera for the area that I was going to be paddling so when I arrived on site I wasn’t totally taken by surprise. But it was a reminder that a visual of the current conditions can confirm (or negate) the prediction from the weather forecast. Below are some webcams that I frequently check to get a sense of the conditions in addition to checking the weather and tide forecasts.
