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Navigating with weather forecasts
August 9, 2026 • 2 min read
How to stay one step ahead of changing weather
Weather can be the difference between a great and a challenging day on the water. Wind and waves affect where you should go, how long a trip will take, and how comfortable the experience will be.
A good weather forecast helps you prepare before you leave. But weather forecasts change; you may be delayed, and plans can change while you are underway. Because of this, keeping your plans up to date when you are on the water is just as important as the planning you did at home.
Orca's new weather experience brings navigation and weather closer together. When you set an active route, Orca now makes it effortless to understand how the weather will develop throughout your journey.
Read on to learn how weather works with active routes, along with the latest updates to Orca's weather models and new weather functionality.
Routes make navigation better
Navigating with Orca is best when you have created a route. The route gives you a precise plan to follow, an accurate arrival time, and a clear view of the weather conditions you can expect along the way.
Creating a route is effortless. Search or long-press your destination and select Navigate To. Once the route is active, Orca displays your instrument panels, and you are ready to depart.
Creating a route is effortless in Orca.
Weather along your route
By default, Orca shows the weather forecast for the area and time you have selected – but with an active route, the weather experience shifts its focus to the upcoming trip.
Open Weather with an active route, and Orca overlays the forecast directly on your route. The forecast is projected forward based on your expected speed, so the conditions shown at each point reflect when you are expected to reach it. This makes it easier to understand how wind, rain, waves, currents, and tides will change as you progress.
View the weather forecast while underway. The forecast is updated automatically and adjusts according to your progress along the route.
The weather graph in the sidebar shows the beginning and end of your journey, making it easy to follow the forecast for your route. In the latest update, the forecast graph also extends beyond the duration of the route, which is particularly useful if you plan to anchor or stay overnight at your destination.
Orca's weather experience will automatically update when a new weather forecast is made available, and the route projection adjusts according to your actual progress along the route. This means that with Orca, you will always make decisions based on the very latest information.
More local weather models
The latest Orca update also adds two regional weather models to Orca: Météo-France AROME and MET Norway Nordic. These models give boaters in the Mediterranean and the Nordics access to the most accurate local forecasts for their regions.
For now, select either model manually using the weather model selector. Both models will soon become part of Orca's automatic model selection, making their local forecasts available without the need to choose them by hand.
Select MET Norway Nordic to get a more granular and accurate view of the weather forecast along the Norwegian coast.
Better planning and navigation
Orca brings charts, routing, and weather together in one navigation experience. By showing the forecast in the context of your active route, Orca helps you understand changing conditions, make more informed decisions, and enjoy a better day on the water.
Orca Display is both a planning and a navigation tool.
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