Has anyone had personal experience using a barometer (while on extended paddling trips) to get a clue as to approaching fronts, changes in weather, etc? Would appreciate recommendations as to types and models, and experiences you have had using one. Just returned from a 5 week paddle-trip on the Canadian tundra, and often found a walm calm day followed by an fast moving storm in the morning. This made planning a bit tough...we just paddled when fair, hiked when not. I'm not interested in pursuing the weather-radio route, though I imagine it to be at least as reliable as the Canadian Government weather forecasts (another topic!!) Thanks! Rich Dempsey ridem_at_msn.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I use a small climbers altimeter for a barometer. Please tell us about your experiences with the Canadian weather forecasts. Many of us have had the feeling they exaggerate wind speed forecasts intentionally. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com -----Original Message----- From: Rich Dempsey <rdempsey_at_wyoming.com> To: PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net <PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Date: Saturday, August 28, 1999 7:23 AM Subject: [Paddlewise] Barometers (for long range weather prediction) >Has anyone had personal experience using a barometer (while on extended >paddling trips) to get a clue as to approaching fronts, changes in weather, >etc? Would appreciate recommendations as to types and models, and >experiences you have had using one. > >Just returned from a 5 week paddle-trip on the Canadian tundra, and often >found a walm calm day followed by an fast moving storm in the morning. This >made planning a bit tough...we just paddled when fair, hiked when not. I'm >not interested in pursuing the weather-radio route, though I imagine it to >be at least as reliable as the Canadian Government weather forecasts >(another topic!!) > >Thanks! >Rich Dempsey >ridem_at_msn.com > > >*************************************************************************** >PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List >Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net >Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net >Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ >*************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Matt Broze wrote: > > I use a small climbers altimeter for a barometer. > Please tell us about your experiences with the Canadian weather forecasts. > Many of us have had the feeling they exaggerate wind speed forecasts > intentionally. Based on some five seasons of 10 to 28 days each season on the West Coast of BC and/or East side of the Charlottes, I think Matt may be on to something, and maybe not. The forecast sea state and wind velocity given by Environment Canada have always been significantly "worse" than I have observed, **from shore,** with one exception: a two-day NE blow in the Charlottes, which hit the advertised 30 knots of steady wind. Could it be the forecasts are for open water, where conditions would be more severe? -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Rich wrote; >Has anyone had personal experience using a barometer (while on extended >paddling trips) to get a clue as to approaching fronts, changes in weather, >etc? Would appreciate recommendations as to types and models, and >experiences you have had using one. I have used a barometer on trips for many years and find it useful. However, the further one goes north the less useful they become as the pressure variations do not seem as great and the fronts move so rapidly (just my observation - have not had this confirmed anywhere). I have experienced huge changes in conditions without huge changes in the barometer readings. I use an Airguide fishing barometer these days. Cheap and has stood up well this past year. Used to use a Casio wrist model. Much more expensive but worked fine. To get any value out of the barometer one needs to track the changes in pressure (rate of change as well as magnitude) and other conditions such as wind directioin and cloud types and development. On its own, the barometer doesn't tell all you need to know for forecasting. >Just returned from a 5 week paddle-trip on the Canadian tundra, and often >found a walm calm day followed by an fast moving storm in the morning. This >made planning a bit tough...we just paddled when fair, hiked when not. My experiences in Labrador, Baffin Island, and Hudson's Bay parallel yours. Nothing boring about the weather up there! Canadian weather forecasts seem as reliable as anyone elses. Wind speeds reported depend upon the location of the monitoring station. Allan Watts wrote a good chapter on heavy weather forecasting in "Heavy Weather Sailing" by Adlard Coles. He provides factors for adjusting reported winds at sea when reports come from coastal stations. I suppose you could reverse the process for offshore stations. Watts says (of British reports)," Only comparatively few anemometers whose readings appear on the charts are therefore representative of the offshore wind." I suspect that applies to most areas and reports. Local conditions modify winds considerably so one should not get puckered up if a weather station reports one speed and you experience something else. I have traveled with a retired Canadian meteorologist and he seemed honest. Can't imagine them boosting reports just to scare people. On the other hand, I suppose Canadian meteorologists could lie just as easily as American politicians. ;-) Here on the Great Lakes the sea state reports come from monitors both on shore and mid lake. One has to listen carefully whether the report comes from the on shore station or the midlake station. In Labrador the wind in one bay might not even raise whitecaps and in the next the wind would blow spume horizontally. One never knew what to expect when rounding a point. I suspect that these land effects diminish offshore but we never tested the theory. The next stop East was Portugal and we did not have our passports. :-) Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Web site address, http://home.ican.net/~735769 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Kruger wrote: > Could it be the forecasts are for open water, where conditions would be more > severe? Well, this summer when I was up on the BC coast I too had the impression that the wind I experienced was often less than forecast. And sometimes in a completely different direction. I assumed this was due to land effects and that off shore conditions would be more in line with what was forecast. I use the Suunto Vector altimeter watch as my barometer. It keeps the history of the pressure every hour for the past 6 hours, then every 6 hours before. I don't have to keep my eye on it, I can always go back and check the history. In addition, the watch has a small graph to show the significant trend in the past three hours then the three hours before that: up, steady, or down. So if there has been some significant movement the graph will alert me. However, as John suggested, I've also noted that in the north west we can have significant changes in the weather with only small barometric changes. Most of the time the watch graph shows steady - steady while mild storms blow through. But when I do see a significant change there usually is significant weather moving through. Tom Unger Seattle. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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