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A Better Weather Experience in Orca
June 28, 2024 • 2 min read
Faster, easier to use, and with much more details.
Weather can be the difference between a perfect and a stressful day at sea. It is why most boaters check weather forecasts ahead and during their trips. If you have been boating for a while, you’ve probably experienced sudden weather changes, or maybe you forgot to check the weather forecast one day and were met with a very demanding trip.
Orca’s weather forecast system makes avoiding bad weather a lot easier – and this week’s update, version 1.0.150, makes the weather forecasts in Orca even better.
Which weather data providers are used by Orca?
The foundation for a great weather forecast experience begins with great weather forecast data. Orca uses handpicked data providers to give you the best data available in your region. These are:
Germany – ICON
Norway – YR
The U.K. – MetOffice
Denmark – FCOO
Finland – FMI
Sweden – SMHI
France and south of Europe – Meteo-France
Rest of world – NOAA
On top of the providers above, Orca connects to thousands of weather radars across the globe to deliver a down-to-the-minute rain radar. This handpicked data makes for an incredibly solid and accurate weather forecast experience in Orca.
The new weather experience
When you open the new weather experience, you’ll be greeted by a forecast overview for the next few hours. At the top of the weather panel, you will find a summary of the weather forecast, followed by temperature and precipitation. This summary lets you understand at a glance if the weather forecast allows for a good day of boating.
The new weather panel is visible on the left side of the screen, giving you an hour-by-hour understanding of the upcoming weather forecast.
Below the summary, you’ll find separate sections for wind, waves, currents, and tide forecasts. Each section shows you in detail, hour for hour, how the situation will develop. To view the forecast further ahead in time, scroll horizontally. Graphs and color-coded values make it easy to spot trends and changes.
Expand the weather panel to get a better overview of the upcoming changes, and easily identify how the different weather dimensions change.
To get a complete view of the coming weather forecasts, press the expand button to let the weather forecast cover the entire screen of your display. This is a fantastic tool for when you are planning a passage and want to compare all the important dimensions of the weather forecast to find a suitable weather window.
The weather forecast is also represented in the chart, which allows you to quickly understand how the weather is changing around your location. You can select which weather layers to view in the map via the Layer button in the top right corner of the map.
Weather layers are projected onto your chart, which lets you understand how the weather changes in your general area. Select between a summary, wind, tides, and the real-time rain radar.
Getting the most out of your boating experience
Orca is the only primary navigation system that deeply integrates weather forecasting for planning and navigation.
Orca Display 2 is a navigation display for the modern boater.
If you are looking for a truly modern navigation system that helps you make better decisions, look no further than the Orca Display 2. It is available with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and free express shipping via the Orca Store.
