Our Weather Data

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Our Data

Our site relies on decades of accumulated satellite and historical weather station data, offering insights into weather patterns and sea temperatures. Through rigorous analysis, we provide recommendations on the best beaches to visit, no matter the time of year.

Our comprehensive information on each beach featured will aid you in planning your perfect beach holiday. If you spot an error or inaccuracy, please do not hesitate to contact us with complete details, and we will rectify it promptly. And if you believe we're missing a hidden gem of a beach, feel free to use our 'add beach' page.

Data Sources

Our historical average weather data is summarized from weather station data over the most recent couple of decades including data from https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datasets/

Weather station record data from the nearest available weather stations for each beach location is averaged per month and per year and combined with the data derived below.

Sea Temperatures

Average Sea temperatures are derived from Nasa satellite observation data https://neo.gsfc.nasa.gov/archive/rgb/AVHRRSSTM/. We use the average monthly sea temperatures in our rating and ranking of beaches for each month of the year. You can see charts of the monthly sea temperatures for each beach on the site.

Sunshine Data

UV index historical data is derived from Nasa UVI climate data https://neo.gsfc.nasa.gov/archive/rgb/AURAUVICLIM_M/. You can see charts of the monthly ultraviolet index data for each beach on the site.

Sunshine historical data is derived from NOAA data https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/mcdw/.

Average Daylight hours are derived at beach locations around the globe and are calculated from the NOAA sunrise and sunset calculations http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunrise/calcdetails.html.

We use the daylight hours together with average sunshine historical data to calculate how many hours of sunshine is typical, during each month of the year, at each beach location. The sunshine data is also used in our ranking of beaches for each month of the year.

Climate Zones

Climate zones are derived from Köppen-Geiger zones https://w2.weather.gov/media/jetstream/global/Koppen-Geiger.pdf

How We Rank The Best Beaches

We process the data above to rate and rank beaches based on our own formulae to recommend the best beaches around the world at any time of year. The process is entirely based on the data with no manual intervention.

The following are used in the rankings:

  1. Maximum Temperature
  2. Average Temperature
  3. Total Rainfall
  4. Rainy Days
  5. Sea Temperature
  6. Hours of Sunshine Per Day

We choose the best months of the year based on these weighted criteria, for example we penalize months excessive rain and even those with exessively hot temperatures. We choose the months with the most comfortable beach weather, ideal for both sunbathing and swimming.

The weather average data descriptions and rankings are automatically generated from the data inorder to be consistent across the site and give the fair and comparative ratings for each beach location.

The average weather data derived above is augmented with local knowledge and in-depth research of local weather systems in each beach location to bring you additional insights and the best recommendations possible.

Forecast Data

For forecast data we use APIs from http://worldweatheronline.com for current, 7 day, 14 day and marine weather forecasts.

From the forecast data we produce our recommendations of the best beaches "today", "this weekend" and for the "next 14 days" based on air temperature, sea temperature, expected rain and cloud cover.

Need Inspiration?

Beaches recommended for you today, this weekend, in the next 2 weeks or in any month of the year.

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Need Inspiration?

Beaches recommended for you today, this weekend, in the next 2 weeks or in any month of the year.