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From: Gabriel L Romeu <romeug_at_erols.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 09:33:09 -0500
After J Winters reference to weather prediction I decided to make a
search through the net to see what kind of weather prediction aids would
be useful out in the water.   This was a rather fruitless endeavor. 
MOst of the sites dealt with the use of rather sophisticated equipment
that reflect their use in the weather reports I listen to on tv or the
radio.

Most of the weather I have been dealing for the past 25 years with has
been filtered through the skylines  of citys, gray sky rain, blue sky
clear.  Obviously insufficient in the conditions I am encountering now
on the water.

I would be very interested in anecdotes relating to this subject from
you all that have far more experience than me, as well as references
that would provide really practical application(either on the net or in
books).

I rely on weather reports from marine band radio that I listen to in the
shower in the morning.
I would presume that there must be some references for sailing, though
our needs are very different.
I have found a site that has some nice illustrations of cloud
formations, http://www.softrain.co.uk/pet_v3/met_cloud.htm
but this seems to give similar information as that I studied in my
meteorology course in school, how it works rather than it's application.

I remember some references to bird flight and the under side of leaves
on a tree being clues to stormy conditions, but my kayak is relatively
low volume and havn't figured a way to carry these along. 

-- 
gabriel l romeu
http://members.aol.com/romeug     studio furniture
http://members.aol.com/romeugp    paintings, photos, prints, etc.
http://members.xoom.com/gabrielR  a daily photo journal

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From: <WILAX_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 11:36:04 EST
Study your clouds!  Clouds, clouds,clouds.  They tell all.  I took meteo
courses in "the academy" in prep for Merchant Marine licensing.  The teacher,
a legend, named THOR would always start the class by asking "what kind of
clouds do we have today?".  You can pretty much figure out a lot...especially
what the next 6 hours holds.
If you combine cloud obs with a surface pressure analysis and 500mB analysis
from the web, you can see how fronts are steered and that will tell you about
what to expect tor wind, waves etc.
I recommend a book called Meteorology for Mariners.  Its a text book that you
don't really have to concentrate on.
The authors name escapes me but e-mail me privately if you are interested.
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From: Mattson, Timothy G <timothy.g.mattson_at_intel.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:04:17 -0800
Acording to Amazon.com, the book "Meteorology for Mariners" is out of print.
Does anyone on the list have other meteorology books to recommend?  I used
to fly airplanes and feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the
fundamentals, but I would like to study this topic from a stricly marine
point of view.

--Tim 

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	WILAX_at_aol.com [SMTP:WILAX_at_aol.com]
> Sent:	Wednesday, December 09, 1998 8:36 AM
> To:	paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subject:	Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
> 
> Study your clouds!  Clouds, clouds,clouds.  They tell all.  I took meteo
> courses in "the academy" in prep for Merchant Marine licensing.  The
> teacher,
> a legend, named THOR would always start the class by asking "what kind of
> clouds do we have today?".  You can pretty much figure out a
> lot...especially
> what the next 6 hours holds.
> If you combine cloud obs with a surface pressure analysis and 500mB
> analysis
> from the web, you can see how fronts are steered and that will tell you
> about
> what to expect tor wind, waves etc.
> I recommend a book called Meteorology for Mariners.  Its a text book that
> you
> don't really have to concentrate on.
> The authors name escapes me but e-mail me privately if you are interested.
> **************************************************************************
> *
> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
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> *
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From: <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 13:07:03 -0800
Mattson, Timothy G wrote:
> 
> Acording to Amazon.com, the book "Meteorology for Mariners" is out of print.
> Does anyone on the list have other meteorology books to recommend?  I used
> to fly airplanes and feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the
> fundamentals, but I would like to study this topic from a stricly marine
> point of view.

In the bibliography to my book, I listed one book that seemed real
good.  I like it because it is short and to the point without a whole
lot of mumbo-jumbo.  The Boater's Weather Guide by Margaret Williams
(Cornell Maritime Press, 1990.

ralph diaz
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
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From: Natalie Wiest <wiestn_at_tamug.tamu.edu>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 15:01:45 -0600
The second edition of Meteorology for Mariners (the most recent available,
I believe) was published in 1967 by Great Britain's Meteorological Office.
At least one copy is held in the Williams Library here at Texas A&M
University at Galveston (Texas Maritime Academy); and at least one more on
the main campus of Texas A&M University (Evans Library in College Station).
 You may request a copy to borrow by going through your local public
library who could also potentially help you locate copies closer to where
you are.

If you'd like to see a selection of titles on marine weather, try a key
word search on "marine meteorology" in our library catalog.  We have 57
titles on this topic.  Go to the Web address
ovid.tamu.edu/webpac/catalogs/, select "search catalogs", then Texas A&M
University at Galveston.

Plenty of reference works about - application and utility are something else.

Natalie

P.S.  Yes, I do paddle sea kayaks myself!

Nathaniel Bowditch is the author of American Practical Navigator, the basic
text for maritime navigation students.  It has about 10 pages devoted to
weather and pictures the basic cloud groups and gives a description of what
weather will likely follow x hours after you see them.  

At 09:04 AM 12/9/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>Acording to Amazon.com, the book "Meteorology for Mariners" is out of print.
>Does anyone on the list have other meteorology books to recommend?  I used
>to fly airplanes and feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the
>fundamentals, but I would like to study this topic from a stricly marine
>point of view.
>
>--Tim 
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:	WILAX_at_aol.com [SMTP:WILAX_at_aol.com]
>> Sent:	Wednesday, December 09, 1998 8:36 AM
>> To:	paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
>> Subject:	Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
>> 
>> Study your clouds!  Clouds, clouds,clouds.  They tell all.  I took meteo
>> courses in "the academy" in prep for Merchant Marine licensing.  The
>> teacher,
>> a legend, named THOR would always start the class by asking "what kind of
>> clouds do we have today?".  You can pretty much figure out a
>> lot...especially
>> what the next 6 hours holds.
>> If you combine cloud obs with a surface pressure analysis and 500mB
>> analysis
>> from the web, you can see how fronts are steered and that will tell you
>> about
>> what to expect tor wind, waves etc.
>> I recommend a book called Meteorology for Mariners.  Its a text book that
>> you
>> don't really have to concentrate on.
>> The authors name escapes me but e-mail me privately if you are interested.
>> **************************************************************************
>> *
>> PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
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>> **************************************************************************
>> *
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>
>
Natalie Wiest, Library Director
Jack K. Williams Library, Texas A&M University at Galveston
P.O. Box 1675  Galveston TX 77553   U.S.A.
Phone:  (409)740-4567   Fax:  (409)740-4702
Email:  wiestn_at_tamug.tamu.edu

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From: Sisler, Clyde <Clyde.Sisler_at_wang.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 12:29:07 -0500
Acording to Amazon.com, the book "Meteorology for Mariners" is out of print.
Does anyone on the list have other meteorology books to recommend?  I used
to fly airplanes and feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the
fundamentals, but I would like to study this topic from a stricly marine
point of view.

------------

A search at http://www.abebooks.com/ turned up 4 used copies at about $24.
Apparently the book was published by the British government.  

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From: <Johnlebl_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 20:05:54 EST
In a message dated 12/9/1998 12:29:30 PM EST, timothy.g.mattson_at_intel.com
writes:

<< Acording to Amazon.com, the book "Meteorology for Mariners" is out of
print.
 Does anyone on the list have other meteorology books to recommend?  I used
 to fly airplanes and feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the
 fundamentals, but I would like to study this topic from a stricly marine
 point of view.
  >>

Go back to "Books 101, the fundamentals"  try a library.  If that doesn'twork,
try  interlibrary loan.  It always works for me.

John

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From: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 07:35:01 -0500
Gabriel wrote;

-

>After J Winters reference to weather prediction I decided to make a
>search through the net to see what kind of weather prediction aids would
>be useful out in the water.   This was a rather fruitless endeavor.
>MOst of the sites dealt with the use of rather sophisticated equipment
>that reflect their use in the weather reports I listen to on tv or the
>radio.


You might find my web page on safety useful. Strictly non commercial. The
book I recommend is "The Sailor's Weather Guide" by Jeff Markell. You can
also get "Mariner's Weather" by Crawford from West Marine (Model # 520122)
I also carry with me on my boat a Davis instant weather predictor. Model #
451799 from West).

I loaned out my Allan Watts book on weather and haven't seen it since so t
must have been good.

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


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From: John Somers <somers_at_utmbrt.utmb.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 11:42:42 -0600
John Winters wrote>:
>
>You might find my web page on safety useful. Strictly non commercial. The
>book I recommend is "The Sailor's Weather Guide" by Jeff Markell. You can
>also get "Mariner's Weather" by Crawford from West Marine (Model # 520122)
>I also carry with me on my boat a Davis instant weather predictor. Model #
>451799 from West).
>

John, would you describe this weather predictor and how you have used it?
I assume it's barometer-based?

	Thanks, please tell us more,
	John Somers

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From: Richard Culpeper <culpeper_at_geocities.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 14:01:42 -0500
Davis earned his B.Sc. in Geography from Tuk U. in 1994, and is now working
his way through part time M.Sc. studies in Meteorology focusing on fractal
based computer modeling of weather patterns.  John Winters has kindly been
hiring on Davis each summer as his on-board instant weather predictor.

Richard Culpeper

----------

> John Winters wrote>:
--snip--
> >I also carry with me on my boat a Davis instant weather predictor.
--snip--
> 
> John, would you describe this weather predictor and how you have used it?
> I assume it's barometer-based?
> 
> 	Thanks, please tell us more,
> 	John Somers
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From: John Somers <somers_at_utmbrt.utmb.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 13:50:24 -0600
At 02:01 PM 12/10/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Davis earned his B.Sc. in Geography from Tuk U. in 1994, and is now working
>his way through part time M.Sc. studies in Meteorology focusing on fractal
>based computer modeling of weather patterns.  John Winters has kindly been
>hiring on Davis each summer as his on-board instant weather predictor.
>
>Richard Culpeper
>
>----------
>
>> John Winters wrote>:
>--snip--
>> >I also carry with me on my boat a Davis instant weather predictor.
>--snip--
>> 
>> John, would you describe this weather predictor and how you have used it?
>> I assume it's barometer-based?
>> 
>> 	Thanks, please tell us more,
>> 	John Somers
>

Ah, Paddlewise,  wise-asses forever--far as the eye can see!  {:~)
	Cheers,
	JS

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From: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 06:36:28 -0500
John wrote;

>John, would you describe this weather predictor and how you have used it?
>I assume it's barometer-based?

Most of it is just signs to look for like wind direction, clouds, etc
although there is reference to barometric pressure. I treat it like a
reminder to keep checking the signs. For beginners who have little or no
knowledge of the weather it really comes in handy.

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

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From: Michael Neverdosky <MichaelN_at_cycat.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] weather prediction
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 09:54:47 +0000
735769_at_ican.net wrote:

> Most of it is just signs to look for like wind direction, clouds, etc
> although there is reference to barometric pressure. I treat it like a
> reminder to keep checking the signs. For beginners who have little or no
> knowledge of the weather it really comes in handy.

All of these aids are usefull but there is no substitute for time
outdoors.

Read the books, carry the field guids and refer to them as you observe and
make guesses as to what the weather will do over the next few hours.
Try to figure out why you guessed wrong when you miss, and what was
the tip that allowed you to get it right.

Direct observation will nearly always work for the next few hours.
Next day forecasts are not nearly as important as what is happening 
now and what will happen in the next hour.

You can plan for the future, but you must act now.

michael
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