Here are my go-to sites:
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
The institute provides the public with meteorological services for both civil and military purposes. The institute is to provide services for the authorities, commerce and industry, institutions and the general public for the protection of their interests, for the protection of life and property, for planning and for the protection of the environment.
The YR site provides very reliable marine weather forecasts. My brother is involved in sailboat racing and this site is preferred in the racing community.
Windfinder
Windfinder is your free to use weather service for kitesurfers, windsurfers, surfers, sailors, paragliders and other wind related activities - find wind, waves, weather, webcams and tides on one website!
I have used Windfinder for many years. It uses two forecasting models: one for short-term and one for longer term periods. It has a variety of useful features:
- very informative graphics which depict forecasts over a variety of time periods
- current and recent weather for nearby recording stations (wind speed and direction, wave height/period, temperature (water, air), annual wind statistics
- animated maps which present a regional overview of wind speed and direction over a variety of user-selected time periods
- a variety of metrics for historical data
These sites offer several supplemental services, including:
- tidal charts
- moon phase
- weather radar maps
In comparison to a variety of other sites, these are not "dumbed down" for general consumption.
Of course, there are other sites which are designed to provide specialized information for local situations where detailed information is vital for mountain activities such as skiing.
This complex is one of the most highly rated ski resorts in the world. I have skied and snowboarded there on two occasions and have been blown away by the variety of terrain. The setting is magnificent, especially the scenery along the Sea to Sky Highway which runs from Vancouver to the village of Whistler.
And if you are ever in Vancouver, make sure to visit the Public Market on Granville Island.
This pedestrian friendly complex is quite unlike Toronto which wasted a fabulous opportunity to redevelop its waterfront. A former mayor and his cronies promulgated an ugly barrier of condo towers which sealed off the waterfront from the rest of the city ... development at its worst. Toronto has not been well governed. The following article provides an excellent account of the results of ignorant decision making by neocons such as former Premier Mike Harris whose misdeeds will take decades to reddress. That Toronto continues to prosper is due to the basic decency of Canadian society - something which enabled our country to overcome the narrow-minded machinations of former Prime Minister Steven Harper. The limited life experience of neocons such as George Bush, Mike Harris and Steven Harper has been reflected in narrow-minded viewpoints which resulted in many disastrous policy decisions which detracted from the well-being of most people - other than a privileged few. These characters had very limited international travel experience prior to their election and none during their formative years. "Bubble wrapped" thinkers indeed.
When you walk around Granville Island, make sure to visit Longliner Seafoods Inc. It offers some of the finest smoked salmon in the world - an exceptional gift to take back for the important people in your life. (Yes, they will seal and bubble wrap your purchases for travel ... and you don't have to worry about refrigeration for the duration of your air travel home. I can only imagine how the airport sniffer dogs might react when inspecting the baggage.)
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