A conversation with Nick Olson about PredictWind's newest features
by David Schmidt 12 Jun 08:00 PDT
June 12, 2025
PredictWind makes it easy to view different weather models © PredictWind
Modern sailors are fortunate to live in an information-rich world that now includes accurate weather forecasts and GRIB viewers that take complex meteorological information and turn it into visually engaging and easy-to-understand graphics. PredictWind, which was founded in 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand, has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts from sources including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Global Forecast System (GFS) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and for also creating their own proprietary models using GFS and ECMWF data (PWG and PWE, respectively).
PredictWind's models and graphical presentations have always been solid, but the company has long worked to add other useful features over the years, including trip planning, trip routing, and event tracking.
Much more recently, PredictWind added Extreme Weather Alerts, which deliver Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) alerts for saved locations to mobile devices; Real-Time Lightning Tracking, which provides near real-time observation information, and Climate Data, which provides ECMWF-based historical weather patterns.
While all these features can help boaters make better decisions, I've personally found the new Split Screen Maps to be useful for wrapping my head around the weather for an upcoming race or event. Here, PredictWind allows users to select two screen-view options from ten different forecast options (wind, gust, lightning, waves, current, rain, clouds, isobars, air temperatures, and se temperatures) to custom-curate their screen views.
For example, with a few quick screen taps, I can look at wind and gust information for the same area.
I caught up with Nick Olson, PredictWind's marketing business development manager, via email, to learn more about PredictWind and its newest features.
Can you please start us off by giving us an overview description of how PredictWind works?
PredictWind gathers forecast information from several paid sources and also runs its own weather models from the initial-conditions phase. We also produce Tidal current modelling and incorporate outside Ocean current sources into our ecosystem.
We also ingest other data from AIS and GMDSS forecasts for our maps and tools.
All of this data is then processed and made available in different ways to make weather-based tools to help keep marine users safe, and to have a more enjoyable time on the water.
We focus on serving the marine-leisure market to ensure that our customers have as much information as possible. This includes forecasts for their region, but also forecasting for passages, information on what the currents are doing, lightning forecasts, wave action—tools that can help keep you safe.
Is PredictWind using AI to help create its proprietary models (PWG and PWE)? What about for anything else?
We use AI to decode the GMDSS written forecasts, and to convert the forecasts into images that we display on screen. It is a great way to see the forecast warnings written by meteorologists from around the world at a glance, on the screen, and overlayed atop a chart that shows where the weather feature is taking place.
We also use AI to develop yacht performance polars, and for reading the yacht's NMEA data. We also use it for learning what information is good data and what is poor data, which allows the system to create accurate polars that reflect how you sail your yacht.
We do not currently use AI in the PredictWind models. We are currently training an in-house AI model with the intent of producing weather models that offer higher resolution and shorter timesteps than existing AI models. We will likely add another externally produced AI model at this time.
As with all our model choices, we are already under way with extensive validation to prove the accuracy for those in the marine sector.
While PredictWind has always been a feature-rich service, you guys recently unveiled two new weather-related features, namely Extreme Weather Alerts and real-time lightning tracking. Can you please walk us through these features?
The extreme weather alerts are a continuation of expanding our features that are aimed at keeping people safe on the water.
The idea came from the weather events we have seen in the Mediterranean, where people are getting caught unprepared by extreme weather. So, we wanted to try and help solve this.
The Extreme weather alerts use the GMDSS forecast and will send you a push notification to your device if there is an extreme weather event noted by the local Metservice. Any time the local Metservice makes an update, our AI system checks and triggers the necessary notifications. Even if these events are forecast at short notice, an hour's warning is better than not knowing at all. We also do Observation and forecast alerts.
The Lightning feature uses real-time data to map the lightning strikes. We differentiate between cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground. There is more development coming for this feature around alerts.
Climate Data, which allows boaters to explore average wind and sea state conditions for the past decade for any location, is also new. How do you see this feature helping racing sailors planning for a regatta or a distance race? What about cruisers?
I'm an old dinghy sailor, and my kids race dinghies now, so this one is close to home. Finding this data for race venues out of town or in a different country has always been hard.
Now, you can have a look at any location in the world and get highly accurate monthly averages, so you can quickly understand the type of venue you are heading to. This allows sailors to practice and tailor their training for the expected venue conditions.
For cruisers, Climate Data can be used in the same way as the old pilot charts are used. Cruisers can also use this data to show the monthly averages along any route.
I've been enjoying the new Split Screen map feature for comparing forecasted winds and puffs for my local racecourses. Are there other juxtaposed screen views that I should be exploring?
I like looking at the high-res tidal currents and the wind. This is super useful for any type of sailing.
I also use it while fishing. For example, going to spots where the wind and current are aligned is pretty nice.
A super useful combo is Convective Available Potential Energy— or 'CAPE'— and rain. If you have the two together, you can see where higher levels of CAPE and rain are present, indicating the potential for thunderstorm activity.
If you're preparing for an inshore regatta, what models do you typically look at about 7-10 days out? What about 3-7 days out? And which models do you find most reliable for the final day or so? Also, why do you think these different models sometimes behave so differently?
The week before, I'm just looking at big picture maps and systems, looking to see timing consensus and trends across the different models, rather than trying to focus on just one model.
A day or so out is when I look at those models more closely and then compare to the same time last year. I'm also looking at the currents and how they may affect the racing.
On the day of the regatta, I am still looking for consensus, but I focus on the high-resolution modelling and look for trends that may play out during the day.
Let's flip that last question to offshore events. If you're getting ready for a distance race, what models are you studying at different times leading up to docking out?
The process is very much the same, however, you still want to be looking at the longer-term options for your strategy.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add about PredictWind's best features and tools, for the record?
It honestly depends on what you're doing! A lot of people look at the daily tables religiously every day, which helps them plan ahead, while others are more interested in looking at the observations. Those who live their life at sea are looking at our AIS features!
I think that learning about what tools PredictWind offers that relate to your activity will greatly enhance your time on the water, and what you get out of PredictWind. For example, if I'm Wing Foiling, I can set up alerts at my favorite spots so I never miss a good day. I could also use the same alerts to let me know if there's a storm coming and I should go and check the lines on my yacht in the marina.
Our routing solution offers great information for both sailors and powerboaters. I think everyone should seriously try them if they haven't, as the level of information is unmatched and this can keep you safe, get you there faster, and generally improve your time on the water. I personally wouldn't go to sea in any vessel without PredictWind's dynamic wave outputs and optimized routing.
The best feature for one person might not be the best feature for another. And it all depends on what you're doing on the day.