Weather4D 2.0

Application: iPhone, iPad, iOS7, iOS9 and Android 4.2
Function: Marine Weather Forecasting and Route planning
Rating:*****
Price: $49.99

Weather4D 2.0 is one of those apps that has become a big game changer in the area of marine weather and routing. I originally reviewed Weather4D back in 2011 and was impressed with the new and unique way weather information was presented in the app.

APP4NAV LLC has continued to add features and functionality to the app to keep me coming back. I have reviewed many weather apps over the years and this one ranks near the top as one of my favorites.

As a boater you all know weather can either make or break your day on the water. It pays to know what your up against when heading out for the day. If your a geek like me you will appreciate the versatility of the this app. The app has several versions both for iOS and Android devices. The table below shows the features with each version.

Marine  Charts:

The app can display a variety of charts. Raster charts can be downloaded from the chart server at Geogarage. The following countries are supported. 

• USA NOAA Raster charts
• Canada CHS
• Bahamas WLP
• Brazil DHN
• Argentina SHN
• France SHOM
• Polynesia TOM
• United Kingdom UKHO
• Germany GSH
• Netherlands NLHO
• Australia AHS
• New Zealand LINZ

Features:

Multiple Weather models

Apple Watch support

Cloud cover

Precipitation, rain and snow

Wind 10M above sea level

Temperatures 2 M above sea level

Barometric pressure

CAPE

Wave heights, period, direction

Currents speed and direction

World maps Bing and OSM

Weather 4D 2.0 comes with free GFS .025, .5 and 1 degree models

Data model include NOAA GFS, NAM, CMC, GEM, WRF, FNMOC WW3, MyOcean and Tidtech, Arpege and Arome French, Aroma HD models with in app purchases

1 Year HD Forecasts subscription $33.99

10 day forecasts

3, 12 and 24 hr data

Worldwide coverage

Resolution to .025, .1,.25, .5, 1 and 2 degrees

Data updated every 6 hours 4 times a day.

Isochonuos routing for motor or sail

Import KMP and GPX files

Iridium satellite prediction paths

Satellite download of weather data

Import GRIB type 1 files from email, SailDocs and Safari

"Open In" feature for file imports

Routing with Polar diagrams

AIS by Internet through AIS Hub displayed in Blue

NMEA WiFi support

NMEA AIS targets displayed in Green

Navigation displays SOG, COG and distance of route legs

Navigation:

Weather4D 2.0 is much more than a weather app. It can provide weather and routing data on marine charts from a variety of hydrographic services in many countries.

The navigation features include recording waypoints, simulating routes, displaying latitude, longitude, GRIB data and weather overlays.  

The navigation mode also displays instruments that provide real time data. The instruments include SOG, COG, VMC, DTW, BTW and ETA. Data can be received from an external WiFi connection and can include AIS data through a NMEA TCP/IP connection. So you can display all your onboard instruments within the app. Your boat instruments will need to be connected to an onboard WiFi router.

Routes can be downloaded from navigation apps like iNavX to be displayed in Weather4D 2.0. 

Routing:

Weather4D has a very powerful weather routing feature integrated into the app. Polar diagrams for your sailboat can be programmed into the app so it can predict the best route for your vessel. 

The GRIB weather data must then be downloaded for the duration of your passage. A route with waypoints then needs to be downloaded in GPX or KML format from a navigation app such as iNavX.


Once Weather4D knows the route it overlays the weather and calculates the best possible route for your vessel taking into account the latest weather information.  Very few apps are able to do these very sophisticated calculations.

Several cruisers that I follow on YouTube have had great success with the app and another similar app called Predict Wind.  Make sure to check both of these out to see which one works better for you.

These apps don't come cheap but they may be a better value than hiring a weather routing agency to do the work for you. The Weather4D app cost $49.99 and if you want the additional forecast models those will run another $33.99 for a years subscription.

If your crossing oceans and making long passages Weather4D may be for you. It can provide all the weather data you will ever need and give you confidence with routing for the conditions you will experience on your passage. Add in the ability to download weather data from a satellite connection and you have the total package. 

I would like to hear if anyone has had experience using Weather4D. Francis Fustier has an apps blog site named Navigation Mac. He has worked extensively with the authors of Weather4D and has developed a users guide outlining all the features of the app. You can access all of these Weather4D reviews and tutorials on his website. 

~~~ Sail On ~~~ /)
Mark