Paddleboarding and the weather (especially in the UK) go hand in hand like cheese and pickle (OK, we know not everyone likes pickle, but that’s life!). If you don’t know what’s going on with the weather you’ll never enjoy your stand up paddle boarding to its full potential. And from a safety point of view not understanding the weather could put your life at risk. Weather info is gold for paddleboarders. So, like it or lump it, becoming a competent paddler either means tagging along with someone who is an amateur meteorologist, or becoming an amateur meteorologist yourself.
When we talk SUP weather we’re not just on about chances of it raining. More importantly, we need to understand and be able to interpret a wider arrange of weather forecast data according to our chosen stand up paddle boarding location. Wind, general conditions, surf/swell (if paddling at coastal locations), air temperature, windchill/humidity and ‘feels like’ readings all impact your SUP sessions. You then have tide info – again, if paddling at the coast – and a few other factors.
A whole host of websites exist that give out all the above data freely. How info is presented depends on the site in question. For instance, Windguru will give average wind gust predictions based on hourly increments. Plus wind direction. Your job is to now understand what that’ll mean on the ground. Or, rather, on the water at your put in.
We’re passionate about your safety, and have published numerous weather related articles over the last few seasons to help.
To make your paddling life easier, we’ve now collected them togethers links below. Have a peruse of what’s been published to date and let us know if you have any questions.
Moving on from the articles links above here’s a selection of weather websites that’ll deliver all that much needed weather info.
For even more SUP and watersports knowledge head over to the MCConks Knowledge Hub here.
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