[Paddlewise] Weather

Possibly the reason for people not being interested in weather instruction
has to do with its complexity and the tendency of instructors to use
unfamiliar terms and concepts. It may not be weather that is boring but
instructors that are boring.

Here is something from my web page on the topic that some might find
useful.

>Instant Weather Prediction

Knowing if weather conditions will improve or remain constant can be useful
but not essential knowledge since neither case will increase your risk. You
must know, however, if the weather will deteriorate. Formal weather reports
provide a useful general overview of conditions but they cover wide areas
and lack sensitivity to local conditions. Despite these drawbacks, believe
a bad weather forecast and plan accordingly even if it looks good in your
vicinity. You may know more about conditions near you but the weather
bureau knows more about what you cannot see.

You can make the following observable signs of deteriorating weather from
your location. To make your local forecast you will need only one piece of
equipment - a barometer. A nice combination watch and  barometer is
available from Casio and Airguide makes a cheap barometer that, when
protected from water, works well enough.  Both provide enough accuracy for
your needs. A sling psychrometer for predicting fog comes in handy and you
can make one yourself very inexpensively.

The following should help you make useful local weather forecasts;

Present weather will turn worse if:

Cumulus clouds grow larger and towering
Stratus clouds move in under cirrus clouds
The barometer falls steadily. A rapid fall of 0.06 inches per hour or more
indicates a rapid worsening and slow fall 0.50 or less a slow worsening
Sun becomes fuzzy looking and moon haloed or fuzzy
Clouds thicken and wind increases
Temperature unusually high or low for time of year
Wind backing (shifting counterclockwise I.e. from SW to S to E)
Line of heavy dark clouds from the west

No one sign constitutes an absolute indication of bad weather but two or
more will. If you  always error on the safe side, your paddling will be
safe and fun.

>End of quote from web site<

I learned these weather signs (in a more folksy way) from the watermen of
the Chesapeake Bay long before the days of satellites and weather radio.
(What I have here I borrowed in modified form from Jeff Markell's "The
Sailors Weather Guide") These watermen, many of whom could not swim and
never wore lifejackets or had any safety devices beyond a pole to scoop the
careless out of the water had to be much more cautious than we do today. A
mistake had serious consequences.  While I do not advocate ignoring the
advantages of the wonderful safety gear and gadgets available today, keep
in mind that we once did without them by being more prudent.

I suppose I lack tolerance for paddlers who seek the quick fix or want some
one else to tell them what is going to happen (maybe so they can sue if the
weather doesn't turn out the way the forecast predicted). Learning weather
signs was a basic part of learning to sail many years ago. Most books on
learning to sail had chapters devoted to the topic. Today sea kayaking
books devote a few pages to it and tell you to tune in your radio.

To my mind we lose a more intimate relationship with our environment by not
learning about weather. I cannot recall one book on sea kayaking that says
anything about the sheer beauty of weather at sea. (If I missed one be sure
to let me know)   Perhaps I watched too many re-runs of Victory at Sea but
to this day all the whales and icebergs in the world can't hold candle to
the power and beauty of a storm at sea.

Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/


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