The boating safety course says "a buildup of vertical dark clouds is a good first indicator of an approaching storm", but if that's the first indicator you have of an approaching storm, you have no business being on a boat!
Ok, that's pretty harsh, but it's really
the truth, given the amount of technology we have at our fingertips today!
Before you plan your boating excursion, check the weather online. Intellicast (a Weather Company division, along with the weather channel and weather underground) is found at
www.intellicast.com Check the hourly and daily forecasts, then see if there are any active alerts. Then click on the Interactive Radar button.
Zoom out on the radar screen and see what weather is coming your direction. The "play" button plays one hour of movement. Armed with this information, you can judge your risk for storms.
The "Big Picture" incorporates the tropical storm tracking section. On our sample there are THREE named hurricanes on the West coast and Tropical Storm "Bertha" off of our Atlantic seaboard (it missed us). Remember, it's hurricane season until November 30'th!
More weather tips next week. Meanwhile click on the Cove weather station in the left margin and reread
THIS article on Hurricanes.