Forecasts + live gauges · updated continuously
Wind forecasts & live water levels for US lakes.
Wind forecasts and live water levels for 1,413 American lakes — one dashboard per lake, with an honest sailing score for every hour of the week.
- Lakes
- 1,413
- States
- 50
- Price
- $0
Popular right now
Famous sailing lakes, live conditions, zero clicks wasted.
Lake Tahoe
California
Live conditions
Lake Pontchartrain
Louisiana
Live conditions
Lake Mead
Nevada
Live conditions
Lake Minnetonka
Minnesota
Live conditions
Lake Travis
Texas
Live conditions
Lake Hopatcong
New Jersey
Live conditions
Lake of the Ozarks
Missouri
Live conditions
Lake Murray
South Carolina
Live conditions
Flathead Lake
Montana
Live conditions
Lake Mendota
Wisconsin
Live conditions
Lake Texoma
Oklahoma
Live conditions
Oneida Lake
New York
Live conditions
Browse by region
Every lake with an active USGS gauge, coast to coast.
Northeast
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Midwest
Southwest
What makes a sailing day
Wind in your band
The sweet spot depends on your craft: pick a profile — Beginner/Kayak (3–10 kt), Cruising (6–16 kt), or Performance/Wing (8–22 kt) — and every score on the site retunes itself.
Gust factor
Gusts more than 1.5× the sustained wind mean jibe-crashing holes and sudden knockdowns — the score dings them hard.
Storms & cold
High rain probability is treated as a storm flag — a proxy, not a lightning forecast — and cold water raises the stakes of a swim. Both subtract from every affected hour.
Learn the water
All guides →Thermal winds: why lakes breeze up every afternoon
The reliable afternoon lake breeze is a heat engine you can set your watch by.
Gust factor: an indicator of jibe-crash risk
Sustained wind tells you how fast you'll go. Gust factor tells you how often you'll swim.
Reading USGS water gauges: elevation vs. gage height
Two numbers, two meanings — knowing which one your lake reports prevents bad launch decisions.
How the LakePulse sailing score works
A 0–10 rating built from wind, gusts, storms, and cold — and tuned to your kind of sailing.
Why wind direction matters more on lakes than at sea
The same wind speed is a completely different day depending on where it comes from.
Small-craft advisories and when to stay ashore
What the flag actually means, and how to make the go/no-go call for your boat.
Questions
Where does the data come from?
Water levels and temperatures come from USGS stream and lake gauges; wind forecasts come from Open-Meteo, which blends national weather models. Everything is public data, refreshed continuously.
What is the sailing score?
A 0–10 rating for every hour: full marks for steady 6–16 kt wind, minus penalties for big gust factors, heavy rain probability as a storm flag, and cold — gauge water temperature where a sensor exists, air otherwise. It is tuned for dinghies, small keelboats, windsurfers, and wing foilers.
Does it cost anything?
No. LakePulse is free, has no account requirement, and works on any phone or laptop browser.
Why is my lake missing?
We list lakes with an active USGS gauge reporting water level. If your lake has a gauge we missed — or data looks wrong — the gauge link on each lake page lets you verify against the source.