Mediterranean marine weather: wind and swell port by port

The Mediterranean marine weather changes from one headland to the next: the mistral can blow hard in Marseille while the sea is glassy in Bonifacio, and an easterly gale can close the anchorages of the Côte d’Azur while sparing the Balearics. This page gives you, for each port, the wind measured live, the 24-hour forecast, a large Windy map and maritime traffic.

The page address follows the place you choose: you can save it or send it to your crew to go straight to the weather at your destination. Further down, our skipper’s tips on Mediterranean winds, Météo-France bulletins and preparing a crossing to Corsica or the Balearics.

Each link opens this page centred on the port: the map zooms in, the wind is animated and the Windy and AIS maps re-centre. For a place not on the list, use the search, which works for the whole coast and the islands. To find the distance between two of these ports, use our port-to-port distance calculator.

Maps and models do not replace official bulletins. For the French Mediterranean, the reference is Météo-France.

The coastal bulletin

It covers the coastal strip up to 20 miles, by sections of coastline, with wind, sea, swell and visibility for the next 24 to 48 hours. It is the bulletin to read before any day trip.

The offshore bulletin

It divides the sea into large named areas, such as Lion, Provence, Ligure, Corse or Baléares. It is the one to check before a crossing or a delivery.

Special weather bulletins

A BMS is issued as soon as the wind reaches or is likely to reach force 7 in an area. It is broadcast by CROSS on VHF, announced on channel 16. A BMS in force is the signal to stay in port or return.

VHF channel 16

At sea, the VHF remains the safest way to receive warnings. Monitor channel 16 at all times, as required by Division 240 for any equipped boat.

Reading the marine weather in the Mediterranean is above all about knowing which coast will be protected. Here are the benchmarks our skippers use on the busiest waters.

In Provence, from the Côte Bleue to Toulon

In a mistral, the coast is sheltered from the sea since the wind comes from land: the Côte Bleue, the north harbour of Marseille and the heads of the bays remain navigable, provided you stay close to the shore. In an easterly, by contrast, you look for coasts facing west, such as the north of the Frioul islands or the bay of La Ciotat in the lee of the Bec de l’Aigle. The Hyères islands offer anchorages for almost every wind, moving from one side of Porquerolles or Port-Cros to the other.

On the Côte d’Azur

The relief often protects from the mistral, which arrives weaker and more irregular. The easterly is the main enemy: it makes most bays uncomfortable. The Lérins islands, off Cannes, and the Villefranche roadstead are the safest shelters.

In Corsica

The west coast is exposed to the libeccio and the mistral, which arrive after crossing the sea. The east coast, more sheltered from the west, becomes tricky in an easterly. Around Bonifacio, the strait accelerates both westerly and easterly winds: it is one of the passages to prepare most carefully, checking the bulletin just before committing to it.

In the Balearics

Mallorca and Menorca almost always offer a sheltered coast: the south and east in a tramontane, the north in a southerly. The narrow coves, however, become rolly as soon as a swell enters, even without local wind. Mahón, at the end of a long inlet, remains one of the best shelters in the Mediterranean.

The right reflex: have a plan B

Before leaving, identify on the chart a fallback shelter for each possible wind direction, note its distance and the time you could reach it, and share this plan with your crew. If the forecast changes during the passage, you already know where to go and how many miles away it is. This is how our skippers work on every delivery: a main route, and always a fallback route to a safe shelter.