Windfinder News

Get the best out of Windfinder with Windfinder Plus

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:17:46 +0200

As the favorite wind and weather forecast app of so many people around the world, Windfinder has been enriching lives and adding value for over two decades. Many of our customers have been with us from the start. Therefore, introducing new features to something that is tried and tested can only be done in a thoughtful and careful manner. That is why we took our time to get our newest feature just right. Today we are launching an exciting new product for both our iOS and Android apps - meet Windfinder Plus, our new set of expanded services!

With Windfinder Plus, you get a huge upgrade of services from Windfinder directly inside your apps:

Wind alerts - get notified when the conditions are perfect for you
The Superforecast, our high resolution forecast model in hourly timesteps
More map features - including real-time wind reports!
Superforecast Widgets, Wind Preview and Wind Barbs - specialized tools to enhance your workflow
Of course: Ad free!
And much more - and even more exciting new features coming soon!

Among this great list of features, Wind alerts is probably the one we are most proud of. Wind alerts allow you to be notified whenever wind condititions are forecasted that match what you are looking for. Setting up, modifiying, pausing and removing alerts all can be done in a breeze.

Windfinder Plus can be easily unlocked directly from within our app – hassle-free and fully transparent. Tap the “More” menu, then hit “Upgrade” to find out more details about Windfinder Plus.

Windfinder Plus comes as a subscription service. There is a free seven-day trial available for a risk-free test - and if you are still unsure or want to use Windfinder Plus on your vacation only, we offer a monthly subscription at 1,49€ per month. If you are enjoying these services, you can save money by going for a yearly subscription at only 9,99€ per year.

If you are not into subscriptions or prefer to use Windfinder as it is - this is totally fine! Nothing of your features will be taken away from you, you can use Windfinder just like before. However if you want to get the best out of Windfinder, Windfinder Plus will make it much easier to spend a good time on the water.

Go ahead and download Windfinder for iOS and Android now!

Support clean energy with Windfinder Plus

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:14:59 +0200

Preserving a clean environment should be natural for all people involved in outdoor sports, especially water sports. Every surfer wants to paddle out in clean water, every sailor wants to enjoy the environment and fishermen want to have healthy fish. We think that it is also a part of our responsibility as Windfinder to do a share for these causes.

Aruba, situated in the Netherlands Antilles, is normally regarded as a top-tier surfing and sailing destination. Warm temperatures and a high wind probability all year around make it a top spot worldwide. However Aruba has no natural sources of fuel - and this is currently the most important source of energy for this island.

We support a project at Vader Piet Wind Farm via our partner company Climatepartner to change this. The project is already constructed and right now already supports over 15% of the energy source of Aruba.
In addition to that, this is the first wind park in this region. This product also helps to develop local industries, making way to new jobs and help the local people.

With every yearly Windfinder Plus subscription you buy, we donate 1 Euro to this project. Each subscription helps to protect 66kg of CO₂ per year! We think it is a part of our responsibility to give something back, and you can help us with this.

Of course this is “only” CO₂ offseting. But at Windfinder, we also have a workflow internally to support a sustainable environment. We are working from home or in coworking spaces in Kiel, Hamburg and Berlin. We have very few in-person meetings where we have to travel, and if so, we encourage our colleagues to travel by train or bus. We have flexible working hours to give us room for other activities, also in supporting the environment - but also to simply enjoy nature and outdoor sports. You can find out more about how we work and open job positions on our careers page.

New: Spot Guides!

Mon, 13 May 2019 17:44:15 +0200

Today we have another new exciting feature to launch. For our most popular spots that we show on our Most Visited Spots section, we also include a “Spot Guide” with more details about this spot.

You can find all kinds of additional information about these spots. Have a look at nearby webcams, read about the history and the vicinity of these spots, get an impression of the various sports you can do there… and much more is still to come!

You can find the link to our Spot Guide section on each of our Most Visited Spots - here is an example of the Spot Guide for Warnemünde in Northern Germany.

Most visited spots on Windfinder

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 12:54:24 +0200

Windfinder offers wind and weather forecasts for over 45000 hand-selected locations worldwide. With our global audience, it is really interesting to see which locations are visited the most across both our iOS and Android apps as well as our website - meet our “Most visited spots” section!

Browse around and see the list of famous spots worldwide. Dream about your next vacation or simply be amazed by the beautiful spots available on Windfinder.

You can also see the “Most visited spots” by country (e.g. Germany). When you are planning a vacation, browse the list of the most frequently visited spots in that country. Chances are that these locations are among the best and/or windiest spots there!

Now go ahead and see for yourself - head over to our Most visited spots worldwide section and let us know what you think!

Wind report maps!

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 13:49:01 +0200

Having a look at the general weather situation around your location is important to get a better interpretation of the current weather. Today we present you another tool to better check the conditions at your preferred location: meet our wind report maps!

Windfinder is collecting wind and weather reports measured from over 21000 weather stations worldwide since its beginning in 1999, and now we are able to present you these values on a map. In contrast to forecasts, wind reports give you the real-time measurements from weather stations around the globe. This is especially useful if you want to head out to a quick after-work surfing session or for trip planning. A lot of these weather stations are situated on relevant places for your hobbies, like for example at marinas or surf schools right at your preferred spot.

With the report values as an overlay over our popular animated wind forecast maps, you can also compare the reported wind speed and direction with the forecasted one. You can easily check if a storm system is approaching faster than predicted and make much better decisions based on this observation.

You can activate the wind report layer on the bottom right of our Map Options menu when using Windfinder on your Desktop. Click on “Measurements” and see real-time measurements from all over the world.

We think this is an amazing new feature and are really happy to present you this feature! Have a look at our wind report maps and please let us know your feedback - simply send us a mail to support@windfinder.com!

Better tides overview

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 13:21:54 +0200

Tides are an important feature for a lot of our users. The correct tide time may affect the wave quality on your local spot, or more important it will be vital for your ship to come back to your safe harbor. And for fishermen, tides and moon are equally important to get a good catch.

With this in mind, we completely redesigned our tide forecast. Besides our tide and water level forecasts, you now also get a lot of information regarding moon phases, sunrise and sunset as well as moonrise and moonset.

Tide forecasts are available for over 7000 locations worldwide. To find tide forecasts in the area you are interested in, you can use the filter section in our search menu inside our apps or the filters on the Map Options column on the right hand side of our forecast map. Check out our tide forecast for Skt. Peter-Ording, one of Germany’s most tide-dependent spot to see an example.

Big improvements for wind forecast maps

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 16:01:02 +0100

Today we released a great new update for our apps for both iOS and Android. After the exciting new features like backup and sync, we now had a look at our map again.

With the new version of our app, you will be able to zoom in really really far into our wind forecast maps. This makes it possible to track the wind direction in relation to the coastline or even to check out the wind direction for sailing out of the harbor.

Another important update is our value picker. Based on your user feedback, we made it much better readable and much easier to get the values at an exact spot inside our maps. Simply tap into our map and move the location crosshair to the point you are interested in. When using our time navigation, you can easily track the changes in wind speed and direction over time.

We also worked on the readability of our forecast tables and on several smaller UI improvements - it is now much easier to find and add new favorite spots.

As always, you can download the Windfinder iOS App from the App Store and the Windfinder Android App from Google Play.

Backup and Sync your Favorites and Settings across all Devices!

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 10:33:30 +0100

When you are using both an Android Phone and an iPad, it was hard to keep track of all changes you did one one device vs. the other. For example you collected a list of forecast locations to watch on your iPad, but in your vacation - when you only have your phone available - you had to search for the favorites again.

Today we released a new version of both our iOS and Android app that solves this problem. With our new Backup and Sync feature, you can create an account on Windfinder, and the favorites and your settings will automatically be backed up securely in the Windfinder cloud. Also they will be available on all of your connected devices with the same account enabled - both on iOS as well as Android. This feature also helps when you get a new device - simply log in with your Windfinder account on your new device and instantly receive your old favorites and settings.

Now go ahead, update to the latest version of our Windfinder App and create your personal Windfinder account!

New feature - the Windfinder Bird’s-Eye View!

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:04:29 +0100

Today we are really excited to be able to present you a great new feature on our website - meet the Windfinder Bird’s-Eye View!

With this new amazing view, you can see the angle of wind and wave in relation to the coastline. Hover over our Windpreview right below, and you will see how the directions change during the forecast period. This is really great if you are looking for the best surfing conditions or if the wind is coming side- or sideoffshore.

If your local spot does not offer wave forecasts, this feature is also useful for you. You can for example check the wind direction on your cycling route, or you can see the wind for your fishing trip.

The Bird’s-Eye View is available for both Forecast and Superforecast, and of course on our mobile website as well as for desktop PCs and Macs. On the top left side above our popular forecast tables, you will see a switch to toggle between Table View and Bird’s-Eye View.

We are really excited about this new feature - please let us know what you think!

Historical Weather Data since 1999

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 16:36:12 +0100

Today we are relaunching our historical weather data shop. Windfinder has been in the game since 1999, and during that time we collected weather data from over 21000 weather stations worldwide. Now we created an easy to use tool to query data availablility with seamless integration of data delivery and payment. Have a look at our new historical weather data shop!

Historical weather data can be used, for example, if you’re submitting an insurance claim related to weather conditions and you’d like to strengthen you case. Our weather data has also been used for specific scientific projects, university studies, research for real estate developments or even forensics. You will receive raw data just as we receive them from the weather stations in CSV format that you can open with Microsoft Office or Google Spreadsheets.

If you are only looking for aggregated wind and weather statistics for your travels or to get a general overview, you can also use our wind and weather statistics for free. Real-time wind and weather reports for the past seven days are also available for free on our website.

Now go ahead and try out our new shop at https://www.windfinder.com/historical-weather-data/

Windfinder supports SAP Sailing Analytics

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 14:00:41 +0200

SAP, the world leader for enterprise software, is partnering with Windfinder, a leading global weather service for water sports enthusiasts, in the field of regatta visualization and analysis. Windfinder provides live weather readings for SAP Sailing Analytics, making it easier for users of SAP Sailing Analytics to follow and analyze regattas realistically at www.sapsailing.com.

SAP Sailing Travemünder Woche

SAP Sailing Analytics provides organizers of regattas with a powerful tool for planning, analyzing and virtually experiencing regattas. Regatta sailors can use SAP Sailing Analytics to analyze their own races, for example detecting wind shifts during races, or uncovering their own (tactical) mistakes. Spectators and fans experience sailing regattas on site and online in a completely new and easily understandable dimension through the integration of live weather data. SAP provides GPS trackers for larger events. For all other regattas the tracking of the regattas with the smartphones of the participants is offered. Windfinder offers weather stations (and webcams) to yacht clubs and regatta organizers for tracking via SAP Sailing Analytics.

Dr. Axel Uhl, Chief Development Architect, SAP Sailing, states: “Windfinder with its huge network of sensors around the world will simplify and enhance the use of the SAP Sailing Analytics for many scenarios such as club regattas and ad-hoc tracking.”

“We are very grateful to cooperate with SAP to help make SAP Sailing Analytics and bring live weather obersvations to any regatta.” adds Oliver König, CEO of Windfinder.

About Windfinder:
Windfinder is a leading global weather service for sailors with wind, wave, tide and weather forecasts as well as live readings from over 40,000 locations and sailing areas with a free website and apps for iPhone, Ipad and Android devices. By installing a weather station and sharing the weather readings with Windfinder, regatta organisers can track, present and analyse their own regattas via SAPsailing.

About SAP:
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 404,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Better weather stations nearby overview

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 15:33:51 +0200

Having good forecasts is a good thing, but having access to real-time wind and weather measurements at your favorite spots even better! Windfinder is one of the few weather services worldwide that have access to a huge number of public and private weather stations, often situated directly at surfing spots or marinas - and we want to make this data even more useful to you!

Directly next to our forecast pages, you will now find a “Reports” and “Windstatistics” link for every spot. If you click on this link, you will now receive a list of nearby weather stations.

Now you can select the locations that match best for you. Or have a look at multiple weather stations and compare the results. When using this tool to search for wind statistics for your vacation, it also makes a great travel planning tool!

You can find a sample of this at Schilksee Olympiazentrum, home of the world-famous Kiel Week regattas:
https://www.windfinder.com/report/schilksee_olympiazentrum

Search update for Android

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0200

Just like in our previous update for our popular Windfinder iOS App, we have added a unified search module for our Android app, too.

As in our iOS app, you can now search for all locations with more than 1000 inhabitants. Searching for region names is available too. And of course you can still easily jump between our map-based search or - if you already know the location name you are searching for - use our lists to quickly find the spot you were looking for.

Download the update from the Google Play Store!

Wave forecast for Great Lakes

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 11:59:44 +0200

Today we have added another important update for both our Apps as well as our Website. We are now offering wave forecasts for the Great Lakes, too!

The wave forecasts for Great Lakes are based on the Great Lakes Wave Forecast model of NOAA. The forecast model is run on a very high resolution of approx. 2.5km. Forecasts are available in hourly intervals for six days in the future. The forecasts are updated four times per day.

Please note that the forecasted wave values only give an estimation about the expected waves. Local conditions at the beaches can modify these values.

iOS App - Unified Search!

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 14:43:30 +0200

Today we have released v5.1.0 of our popular Windfinder iOS App. Our main feature this time is a unified search, making it much easier for you to find your preferred spot.

Our new search was expanded quite a lot. You can now search for every location worldwide with over 1000 inhabitants. When selecting such a location, you will be redirected to the map and see the Windfinder spots nearby. You may also query for regions, making it much easier to find the best spot if you only know the approximate location.

We also improved our workflow - you can now either use our map and zoom and pan to find your preferred spot. Or if you know the exact name of a location already, you can see matching spots in list mode and select the one you were searching for.

Download the Windfinder app for iOS now in the iOS App Store!

Support Windfinder!

Wed, 30 May 2018 12:46:49 +0200

With the most recent release of our Windfinder Pro Android app, we offer a new method to support Windfinder. You can now choose a predefined amount of money (1€ to 5€ per year) to donate to Windfinder to support our future development.

Windfinder is built with love and a lot of passion. With your support, we will be able to keep up this work and provide you with our forecasts and new features in the future, too.

Don’t worry - our supporter packages are entirely optional. Windfinder is and will always be free to use, but we are glad for any help we get. Thank you for your support!

Remove ads in Windfinder for Android and support our development!

Mon, 07 May 2018 11:46:26 +0200

Today we are able to fulfill a request we recently heard from a lot of our users. They are really satisfied with our app and our forecasts and wanted to support our development, but they are annoyed from ads and/or want to remove those because of privacy reasons.

From today on, we offer a subscription that removes ads in our Windfinder Android app! You can buy the subscription directly from the “More”-Section inside our app. The price for one year of ad-free usage of the Windfinder Android app is only 0,25€ per month! But don’t worry - this feature is entirely optional, Windfinder will always be free to use!

You can cancel your subscription at any time using the Google Play Subscriptions section, there are no hidden pitfalls. All payment is handled by Google and automatically uses your payment methods available there.

There are more things to come where you can help us to support our development - stay tuned!

Find your preferred location on Windfinder!

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 15:54:08 +0200

Besides our existing spot database of over 40000 locations worldwide, we are now able to give you even more locations - if your town is bigger than 1000 inhabitants, you will now find it in the search function on Windfinder!

Our existing spot database covers 40000 hand-selected spots where you can do your wind-related outdoor sport like surfing, sailing or paragliding. However there are situations where you want to find forecasts for a different place - for example you want to find spots near your holiday destination. Now you simply type the location name you are interested in, select it from the search results and you will be directed to our map - and then you can select spots in the vicinity!

Supported Browsers on the Windfinder Website

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 09:28:26 +0200

When we are working on our website, we are always looking to integrate the best technology available to give you the best possible user experience. With technology moving very fast, we are continuosly monitoring the usage on Windfinder from browsers and operating systems and let these numbers run into our product decisions.

Since today, we are deprecating some old browsers due to security issues: Internet Explorer older than 10, Android Stock Browser older than v4, Samsung Internet older than v3 and minor other older browsers are now deprecated. The main reason is that these browsers do not support state-of-the-art encryption - and we keep a close eye on security.

If you are using one of these browsers, please upgrade to a more modern browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox or use our Windfinder apps for iOS or Android.

Improvements for Android App

Wed, 14 Mar 2018 16:25:42 +0100

Besides working on the new version of our iOS app, we also worked on some improvements for our Android app.

First of all we added a significant performance boost. Our forecast view got an improved rendering performance, and for our popular animated forecast map we have implemented the biggest improvement yet: our forecast maps are by far the fasted animated forecast map from all weather apps in the stores at the moment!

The second big update is for our temperature scale on our maps. We have improved the color scale to give you better distinctions in the “normal” temperature range between 0°C and 25°C. Watch the arctic outbreak in Europe this weekend!