Sunday, June 6, 2010

weather check

Here's a photo of lightning glowing in the clouds outside my backdoor as a storm rolls through this evening.


Less than two weeks to go and I start wondering about the weather. Today's weather up here got my attention. Very hot and gusty with winds over 30 mph. So when I got home I checked the weather averages for Cape Hatteras at Windfinder.com.



The compass rose reflects some of the experience I've had on the sound. I did a mid-June solo sail on Pamlico Sound a couple of years ago and the wind was very constant out of the southwest. If that is the case this year we ought to do just fine.



The chart shows an average wind of 10 mph. I'll take that. And an average temperate of 78 degrees. That is a little deceptive I think as it reflects the temperature from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I think the temperatures from 10 a.m. until, say, 6 p.m. will be in the mid to high 80's and humid. We'll make an effort to drink plenty of water - I don't think we've done a good job of hydrating in the past - and we've got light weight sunblocking clothes to wear along with broad brim hats.


I'll wait until early next week to start taking a hard look at the forecast. And even then I won't take it too seriously until the day we leave town. But as Bruce said when a captain warned us about rain and thunderstorms in Oriental on the Skeeter Beater, "We're going anyway."

steve

2 comments:

Baydog said...

Refresh me on your itinerary; we will be down that way between 6/20 and 6/27 looking for OBX seafood. If there would be any way to hook up with you, that would be so great! Ya never know

Steve said...

That does sound like a great idea but I suspect it won't work out on this trip. Travel dates are good, but while you are on the outer banks we'll be sailing the inner banks - Core Banks, Shackleford Banks, Neuse River, Pamlico River which are all a few hours at least from where you will be. But I do like the thought and maybe someday it will work out, maybe on a trip at the north end of Chesapeake Bay.

steve