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Wind Map of US Will Blow You Away
Hugh Pickens writes writes "Talk about visualizations. Ever wondered what the wind would look like if you could see it in action from above? A new project posted online by a pair of Google computer scientists, called simply Wind Map, has to be seen to be believed. "It can be quite hypnotizing to watch the gusty trails blast across the American continent, skitter over the Sierras, get roughed up by the Rockies, and whoosh over the great plains on its way to Canada," writes Chris Taylor. Wind Map is the brainchild of Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg, the co-leaders of Google's 'Big Picture' visualization research group in Cambridge, Mass. Wind patterns are constantly changing, of course, which is why the Wind Map designers have also given us a moving-image gallery of previous blustery days."
Wind maps + 7 day forecasts of the world's oceans are widely avalible. When you're sailing you're looking at the big picture of what's causing the wind and where it's headed, so a fine detail tool like Google Maps is sort of a moot point. Wind maps only really make sense on a scale of 1000 miles or more.
7 day wind forecast of the South Atlantic
moox. for a new generation.
Have a look at Windfinder. Quite useful for planning your trips.
Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
This seems to visualize surface winds. Radar (precipitation aloft) is moved by winds higher in the atmosphere. There's often a disconnect in the direction of surface and elevated winds. Check out a Skew-T Sounding and you can see the larger vertical wind profile.