I live in small coastal city, and for 15 years I had an apartment 2 blocks
from the waterfront of the harbour. This would be about 3 miles up the
harbour from the Atlantic coast itself. I remember a night a thunderstorm
woke me up as it put on its light show overhead. Then it hit the radio
station across the street. That was spectacular. And deafening. It was a
couple of days before they were back on the air.
Are thunderstorms uncommon at night? Seems around here they are as common
during the night as during the day.
--
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
Cape Breton Island, Canada
kenheaton AT ess wye dee DOT eastlink DOT ca

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
I have never seen a thunderstorm offshore at night, either, but have seen
them
on land (way inland) on more than a couple occassions.

Hmm.. I have rarely seen T-storms at night, course my eyes are not that
good
as some.

Foregoing Vitriol, raving and puffery deleted..

As part of keeping your log with regular observations at say even bells.
SOP in Lioness is to plot position and sweep the radar to look for
vessels
and thunderclouds.

With 48 mile range you do get a good warning. A cell phone that gave you
a
message on weather would be nice, yet does not work offshore.


Course if all you do is sail in category 4 water it is no biggie.

Sheldon

They are common on the coast. They use the heating of the land to provide the
instability and updrafts. Its certainly very common in New England for line
squalls to go through at night - it only take a cold front traveling over heated
up land. They would lose some of their punch over cold water.

Jax is just trying to claim that a few offshore rides makes him a weather
expert.



"Ken Heaton" wrote in message
...
I live in small coastal city, and for 15 years I had an apartment 2 blocks
from the waterfront of the harbour. This would be about 3 miles up the
harbour from the Atlantic coast itself. I remember a night a thunderstorm
woke me up as it put on its light show overhead. Then it hit the radio
station across the street. That was spectacular. And deafening. It was a
couple of days before they were back on the air.
Are thunderstorms uncommon at night? Seems around here they are as common
during the night as during the day.
--
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
Cape Breton Island, Canada
kenheaton AT ess wye dee DOT eastlink DOT ca

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
I have never seen a thunderstorm offshore at night, either, but have seen
them
on land (way inland) on more than a couple occassions.

Hmm.. I have rarely seen T-storms at night, course my eyes are not that
good
as some.

Foregoing Vitriol, raving and puffery deleted..

As part of keeping your log with regular observations at say even bells.
SOP in Lioness is to plot position and sweep the radar to look for
vessels
and thunderclouds.

With 48 mile range you do get a good warning. A cell phone that gave you
a
message on weather would be nice, yet does not work offshore.


Course if all you do is sail in category 4 water it is no biggie.

Sheldon

Jax is just trying to claim that a few offshore rides makes him a weather
expert.

no, I wasn't. I was just saying that -- in agreement with another poster --
that I had not seen thunderstorms at sea at night, that I had -- perhaps in
disagreement -- seen such thunderstorms at night way inland.

During Day time you can "usually see" the storm coming, unless you are on
the Finger lakes or similar where the surrounding hillside blocks the view
to the west.

(remembering a Sunfish surfing backwards about 30 yrs ago when we got hit by
a fast mover)


At night whether you are along shore or offshore you "usually can not see
the squall line" you should see Lightning if there is any, I spose that all
T-storms by definition do have lightning.

My point is that with Radar as a normal part of keeping watch, and keeping
log/plot you can look toward the horizon in the dark and try to see if there
is heavy precipitation which does return the beam.

Regarding Cat 4 races your cell phone would be effective, as you should be
in coverage. Say you are offshore 20 miles in middle of Ontario or perhaps
Marblehead to Halifax and you need better service.

S






On 1/30/04 1:31 AM, in article ,
"JAXAshby" wrote:

Jax is just trying to claim that a few offshore rides makes him a weather
expert.

no, I wasn't. I was just saying that -- in agreement with another poster --
that I had not seen thunderstorms at sea at night, that I had -- perhaps in
disagreement -- seen such thunderstorms at night way inland.



--
Sheldon Haynie
Texas Instruments
50 Phillipe Cote
Manchester, NH 03101
603 222 8652

During Day time you can "usually see" the storm coming, unless you are on
the Finger lakes or similar where the surrounding hillside blocks the view
to the west.

(remembering a Sunfish surfing backwards about 30 yrs ago when we got hit by
a fast mover)


At night whether you are along shore or offshore you "usually can not see
the squall line" you should see Lightning if there is any, I spose that all
T-storms by definition do have lightning.

My point is that with Radar as a normal part of keeping watch, and keeping
log/plot you can look toward the horizon in the dark and try to see if there
is heavy precipitation which does return the beam.

Regarding Cat 4 races your cell phone would be effective, as you should be
in coverage. Say you are offshore 20 miles in middle of Ontario or perhaps
Marblehead to Halifax and you need better service.

S






On 1/30/04 1:31 AM, in article ,
"JAXAshby" wrote:

Jax is just trying to claim that a few offshore rides makes him a weather
expert.

no, I wasn't. I was just saying that -- in agreement with another poster --
that I had not seen thunderstorms at sea at night, that I had -- perhaps in
disagreement -- seen such thunderstorms at night way inland.



--
Sheldon Haynie
Texas Instruments
50 Phillipe Cote
Manchester, NH 03101
603 222 8652

Jax is just trying to claim that a few offshore rides makes him a weather
expert.

no, I wasn't. I was just saying that -- in agreement with another poster --
that I had not seen thunderstorms at sea at night, that I had -- perhaps in
disagreement -- seen such thunderstorms at night way inland.

They are common on the coast. They use the heating of the land to provide the
instability and updrafts. Its certainly very common in New England for line
squalls to go through at night - it only take a cold front traveling over heated
up land. They would lose some of their punch over cold water.

Jax is just trying to claim that a few offshore rides makes him a weather
expert.



"Ken Heaton" wrote in message
...
I live in small coastal city, and for 15 years I had an apartment 2 blocks
from the waterfront of the harbour. This would be about 3 miles up the
harbour from the Atlantic coast itself. I remember a night a thunderstorm
woke me up as it put on its light show overhead. Then it hit the radio
station across the street. That was spectacular. And deafening. It was a
couple of days before they were back on the air.
Are thunderstorms uncommon at night? Seems around here they are as common
during the night as during the day.
--
Ken Heaton & Anne Tobin
Cape Breton Island, Canada
kenheaton AT ess wye dee DOT eastlink DOT ca

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
I have never seen a thunderstorm offshore at night, either, but have seen
them
on land (way inland) on more than a couple occassions.

Hmm.. I have rarely seen T-storms at night, course my eyes are not that
good
as some.

Foregoing Vitriol, raving and puffery deleted..

As part of keeping your log with regular observations at say even bells.
SOP in Lioness is to plot position and sweep the radar to look for
vessels
and thunderclouds.

With 48 mile range you do get a good warning. A cell phone that gave you
a
message on weather would be nice, yet does not work offshore.


Course if all you do is sail in category 4 water it is no biggie.

Sheldon

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 22:21:17 -0400, "Ken Heaton" wrote:

/// I remember a night a thunderstorm
woke me up as it put on its light show overhead. Then it hit the radio
station across the street. That was spectacular. And deafening. It was a
couple of days before they were back on the air.
Are thunderstorms uncommon at night? Seems around here they are as common
during the night as during the day.

A fact that stays in mind for no good reason, after reading a classic
atmospheric electricity monograph:

There is a peak time which is synchronized around the world, for
lightning strikes.

I suppose that depending on the longitude, the time for
lightning shows could well be at night....

Brian W

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004 22:21:17 -0400, "Ken Heaton" wrote:

/// I remember a night a thunderstorm
woke me up as it put on its light show overhead. Then it hit the radio
station across the street. That was spectacular. And deafening. It was a
couple of days before they were back on the air.
Are thunderstorms uncommon at night? Seems around here they are as common
during the night as during the day.

A fact that stays in mind for no good reason, after reading a classic
atmospheric electricity monograph:

There is a peak time which is synchronized around the world, for
lightning strikes.

I suppose that depending on the longitude, the time for
lightning shows could well be at night....

Brian W