Web App Guide
Scores & Ratings
How conditions are scored and what the ratings mean.
Scoring factors
Every location gets a score from 0 to 100 based on current conditions. The score combines weather factors that apply everywhere with water-body-specific factors based on the type of water you're paddling.
Weather factors (all locations)
| Factor | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Wind speed | Sustained wind speed. Calm is better for most activities. |
| Wind gusts | Gust intensity. High gusts can make conditions unpredictable. |
| Air quality (AQI) | Air quality index. Wildfire smoke is a common issue in California. |
| Temperature | Air temperature comfort range for your activity. |
| UV index | Sun exposure intensity. High UV isn't dangerous but affects comfort. |
| Visibility | How far you can see. Low visibility may indicate fog or haze. |
| Precipitation | Chance and intensity of rain or snow. |
Water-body-specific factors
These factors activate based on the type of water body and the data available from monitoring stations:
| Factor | Applies to | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Streamflow | Rivers | Current flow rate in cubic feet per second. Scored against an optimal range for your activity. |
| River stage | Rivers | Water level compared to historical monthly norms. Recreational profiles prefer calmer water, racing profiles prefer higher current. |
| Reservoir level | Reservoirs, lakes | Current storage as a percentage of capacity. Low levels can affect launch ramp access and expose hazards. |
| Water quality | Where sensors exist | Composite of turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and conductivity. Detects conditions like algal blooms. |
| Tidal current | Bays, ocean | Tidal current strength. Calmer tides are generally better for recreational paddling. |
When a factor doesn't have data (e.g., a river without a stage sensor), it's excluded from the score and the remaining factors are reweighted automatically. You never get penalized for missing data.
Ratings
- Go (70-100): Great conditions. Get out there.
- Caution (40-69): Doable, but check the details.
- No-go (0-39): Conditions aren't favorable right now.
Hard vetoes
Some conditions override the score entirely and set it to 0 regardless of other factors. When a veto is active, you'll see a clear explanation of what triggered it.
- Thunderstorms in the forecast.
- Extreme wind or gusts above profile thresholds.
- Dangerous air quality (AQI above 200).
- Near-zero visibility (below 0.5 miles).
- Freezing temperatures (below 32 F).
- High dam releases that create dangerous downstream conditions. Thresholds are set per water body based on local paddling guidance. Email support to suggest a revision for your home water.
- Flood-level river stage (above the 95th percentile for the current month).
- Unsafe water for pets (algal bloom indicators, extreme pH, high turbidity). Only active when the "paddles with pets" profile option is enabled.
Pet safety
When water quality sensors are available, Paddle Conditions generates a pet safety rating: Safe, Caution, or Unsafe. The system checks for algal bloom indicators (warm water combined with low dissolved oxygen), high turbidity, extreme pH, and elevated conductivity.
Pet safety data appears when available but only affects your score if you enable "paddles with pets" in your profile. With it on, unsafe water quality for pets triggers a hard veto.
Activity profiles
Scoring weights adjust based on your activity. SUP paddlers are more sensitive to wind and gusts, while kayakers have higher wind tolerance. Each activity profile fine-tunes the score to match what actually matters for your sport.
River stage scoring is direction-dependent: recreational and family profiles score better when the water is calm (lower stage), while racing and river kayak profiles prefer higher water levels for more current. Both directions trigger a safety veto at flood levels.