Re: [Paddlewise] Hail Seas-err,

At 05:47 AM 1/21/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Hail at sea?
>
>i'm currious to read reports of hail at sea. weather folks tell me that it
>is not common because the vertical air profile is moist, whereas a dry layer
>is usually found in overland areas that receive hail.
>
>So, who as encountered hail at sea?
>
>what got my interest is a strange fresh water signature at 30 ft below the
>sea surface that has been attributed to rain. i doubt that rain can
>penetrate that deep because the fresh water is too light compared to the
>salty water. on the otherhand, hail is very cold and thus dense - so it
>might mix with the salt water and sink.
>
>who been hit by hail out there?
>
>cu
>bliven

I was paddling with two companions on a long weekend trip early last spring
in the northern Gulf Islands (by the South East end of Vancouver Island),
when we had the biggest variety of weather I've ever encountered in the
shortest time. During the course of a two hour crossing we went from bright
sunshine with light winds, to torrential rain with strong gusts, to thunder
and lighting, about fifteen minutes of hail, and finally back to sunshine,
with steady wind. Wild! 
Sorry, we neglected to lower sample bottles to thirty feet to check out the
halocline :-) However, the Gulfs are an area of major tidal exchanges, so
I'd be surprised if any "layer" of fresh water, if it ever existed, wasn't
rapidly churned into oblivion anyway.

Cheers,



Philip T.
N49°16' W123°08' 
"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my
employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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