Using MetEye for boating
MetEye is your interactive tool for assessing weather forecasts. Mariners can use it to find information on forecast winds, waves and weather for an area or specific locations. The example below shows how MetEye can be used to plan a fishing trip. MetEye forecasts are routinely adjusted by meteorologists to better represent local conditions.
Example on using MetEye in southern Queensland
One Friday afternoon, John decides he wants to go deep ocean fishing off Moreton Island, Queensland on Sunday morning. He needs to know if it will be safe to fish on the eastern side of the island—an area that is often more exposed to the wind and waves. He has already read the official text forecast for these areas (linked from the Marine & Ocean page) and wants to investigate the situation further using MetEye.
Step 1: Open MetEye for Moreton Bay
From the Queensland tab of the Marine & Ocean page the ‘MetEye forecast wind and waves maps for Moreton Bay’ link takes John straight to the Moreton Bay area in MetEye.
Step 2: Select the times of interest
John clicks on Sunday in the time selection bar above the MetEye map. He can see forecasts for every three hours by clicking on the time steps (1:00, 4:00, 7:00 ...) or click the play button (top left corner of the map) to see an animation of the wind forecast for Sunday.
John can change the time zone shown, using the dropdown menu above the map.
Step 3: Review the wind forecast
Just looking at a small area over a limited time span can blind you to nearby hazardous weather conditions. Reviewing forecast maps for a larger area and over a longer period, can help John better understand his risk if significant conditions are forecast nearby or the timing of a change is not quite right.
The wind forecast maps show the averaged 10 minute wind speed and direction for the time selected, based on a 10 metre standard height. Wind speeds vary with gusts and lulls during a 10 minute period so John should be prepared to experience wind gusts that may be 40 percent stronger than the average speeds presented on the map.
Step 4: Repeat for other weather elements
Using the menu on the left, John can look at forecasts for other weather elements such as waves (wind wave and swells), rainfall, weather and temperature.
The maps show the significant wave heights. Some waves will be higher, and some lower, than the significant wave height and three to four times a day waves may be nearly double the significant wave height.
Note: the 'Total wave height' displays the combination of wind wave and swells. There may be multiple swells, with up to two arrows denoting swell direction (the longest arrow represents the direction of the largest swell). It's important to investigate both swells if there are two present, using the controls on the left, as one swell may be more significant than the other.
Step 5: Click on a point of interest for more information
Having checked out the big picture, John now wants to see the forecast for a specific point on the eastern side of Moreton Island. He clicks that point on the map, and a 7-day forecast appears. Clicking the 'Detail' button for Sunday expands the display to show weather conditions every three hours during Sunday. For a point selected over water, the temperature, wind direction and speed and total wave height are displayed.
Step 6: See text views for location
John can see even more detail by first clicking on the 'See text views for location' link in the top right of the popup display. On the next page, clicking on the 'Detailed 3-hourly forecast' button (right hand side) displays full details for the selected point in tables. The 'Humidity and Wind' and the 'Waves' sections will be of most interest to John-to assess the wind, wind wave and swell forecasts. It's also important to check the 'Significant Weather' section to see if thunderstorms are forecast for the location.
Weather information on MetEye is available in 3 hourly time steps. John should be aware that some weather phenomena (wind changes or thunderstorms) may occur in between these times.
Step 7: Return to the map display to select another point
To return to the map display of his location, John clicks the 'Map View MetEye' button in the top right corner of the screen.
Step 8: Save the location
To save his favourite fishing spot, John clicks on the 'Save location' button in the left of the popup forecast window. Whenever John comes back to MetEye, he will now see a purple balloon at that location on the map, which will help him to select the same point in future.