María José Guerrero, AEMET: ‘You need to check the weather forecast and not just assume it's sunny’

Before embarking on a voyage or engaging in any type of activity at sea, the first thing we do is check the weather forecast to understand the conditions and decide whether we can proceed with our plans.

Because sailing with a wind of 10 knots and half a meter wave is not the same as doing it with 17 knots and two-meter waves. Nor is enjoying water sports like windsurfing or wing foiling the same with 3 knots of wind as with 15.

But where can we find all this information reliably? The territorial delegate of the State Meteorological Agency in the Balearics, María José Guerrero, visited the studios of Pasión por el Mar to share firsthand the work carried out by this public entity that produces the weather forecasts for the islands.

"Our role is to provide weather information and forecasts to citizens to protect them, especially from adverse meteorological phenomena on land, at sea, and in the air," explains the territorial delegate.

While this is just a glimpse of the multiple uses of the work done at AEMET, as "we also contribute to making both aeronautical and maritime journeys more efficient, providing short to medium-term forecasts that are more reliable, useful, and of high quality," Guerrero asserts.

To carry out all this work, the territorial delegation of AEMET in the Balearics currently employs 43 people, spread between the Porto Pi base and the airports of the Islands, who work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, on 12-hour shifts.

Regarding the sea, the territorial delegate of AEMET in the Balearics has made some recommendations for sailors to ensure a safe journey. "I would always recommend to those who are going out to check the weather forecast and never trust just because it's sunny now, because even if the wind is calm, it can change at any moment, and this is reflected in our weather forecasts," she explains.

In fact, AEMET predicts wind speed, the direction it comes from, wave height, whether it will be a groundswell... A myriad of data that facilitates the organization of the journey. "We make these forecasts with a validity period of 24 hours, both in the morning and in the evening. And also, if it is considered that the wind or sea conditions or another variable could be adverse, warnings are also issued," she comments.

All these warnings and forecasts are broadcast by Maritime Rescue via radio so that sailors have up-to-date information, but they can also be checked on the website www.aemet.es, and they usually post a tweet announcing the day's conditions.