What to do with the weather?

[superbenk]

Re: What to do with the weather?

Do a search and see if there are any webcams on the lake. I always check them and radar before heading out. Where I live it could be stormy at home and clear skies at the lake.

This would be awesome, but its a state owned lake & there are no cams. (Beltzville Dam)

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: What to do with the weather?

Keep an eye on the weather and leave if you see something coming. In the "old days" people just turned on the AM radio and listened for static.

 

[dan02gt]

Re: What to do with the weather?

We always use a radar app to determine what the weather is doing. I also check it about every hour while on the boat to make sure nothing is coming up on us.

 

[90stingray]

Re: What to do with the weather?

I would check a weatherbug location close to the lake and look at the hour by hour forecast. Make an educated guess. Usually works for me but there have been a few times it has been calm all day at the house, and get to the lake and its blowing 30mph from the worst possible direction. Its the way it goes. If it is a no go, we grab a beer watch people on the ramp and around marina. Have a few laughs and head to the house. If you tow with a cover it would help keep boat looking nice if you get caught pulling in rain. Its a gamble sometimes.... but that's part of boating.

 

[dingbat]

Re: What to do with the weather?

I gave up on weather forecast long ago. If I stayed home every time Useless Bug or the Guessing Channel predicted bad weather I might as well sell the boat. They give no consideration whatsoever to local weather or water anomalies. Make your own observations and learn how the weather works with wind and tide in your location.

The best marine forecast for the Chesapeake by far is the NOAA CBOFS: Surface Winds for Forecast Cycle. They model wind speed and direction at 1/2 hour intervals 24 hours in advance. The accuracy and timing of the forecast is exceptional.

This time of year you have to deal with popup storms. Pop ups are localized and seldom more than a couple of miles across. They're come and go before you know it. IMHO, certainly not worth staying home for.

A chance of storms would get a yawn unless they there associated with a passing frontal boundary. Take note of the time frame and go boating. Keep an eye on the conditions and get off the water before it deteriorate beyond your boat's capability.

 

[saumon]

Re: What to do with the weather?

Same as dingbat but I use WindGuru; best thing since sliced bread, really. I can't care less about rain but I try to avoid winds over 25mph. Once setup to you specific spot with your parameters, it's terrific. Their NAM 12km prediction model is really accurate. I also installed their mobile app on my phone.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: What to do with the weather?

WoW!! A 25 MPH wind, especially out of the south will give me 5'ers.

Same as dingbat but I use WindGuru; best thing since sliced bread, really. I can't care less about rain but I try to avoid winds over 25mph. Once setup to you specific spot with your parameters, it's terrific. Their NAM 12km prediction model is really accurate. I also installed their mobile app on my phone.

 

[saumon]

Re: What to do with the weather?

WoW!! A 25 MPH wind, especially out of the south will give me 5'ers.

Not here. I'm not in the ocean. I fish mainly in the enlargements of the St. Lawrence around Montreal. With the constant current, 25mph wind translate into 3 footers. Not comfortable in any way to fish, but not overly dangerous to navigate...at least in my boat, which is really dry for its size (but I wouln't mind trading with yours anytime :joyous.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: What to do with the weather?

Going out the inlets here with 25 mph from the S on an outgoing will give me 6'+ walls of water.... and 5' caps outside. Not as bad on an incoming. The days with 5 - 10 MPH out of the N are a dream,,, just too few of them.

 

[rfdfirecaptain]

Re: What to do with the weather?

What kid of work do you do Superbenk? I look at it like this. If a guy who makes his living working outdoors listened to the weatherman's predictions, his family would starve to death! It's been proven that the Farmer's Almanac is about as reliable as the local weather man. So go take a free 2 hour NOAA storm spotters class and get a weather app. Now you have knowledge and technology to help you make changes on fly, but don't let a prediction ruin your summer.