On Sat, 23 Sep 2006 12:01:15 GMT, John Fereira wrote:

Drew Cutter wrote in :

Let say you are on your way back from a 3-5 day trip . A fast moving
storm appears that was not known before you left . For instance a
winter storm. Where I kayak often the weather person doesn't know
exactly where the storm is heading. The storm could stay along the
coast line or head out over the water or not even go over the water .
Right now is a good example , hurricane season tends to do weird
things around here . " Great Lakes". I want to be ready for those fast
moving storms that change directions.

It sounds like what you really need is a VHF radio that has coverage for the
National Weather Service channels. I've found that at least our local NWS
channel has very accurate coverage regarding the location of storm cells as
they pass through the area. VHF radios are getting quite affordable and
having the combination of a weather radio and VHF gives you the option of
being able contact someone if a storm takes an unpredictable turn and you
find yourself in trouble.

Just a data point. I have found that one of those small, battery powered
TVs is often quite a bit more valuable than NWS or NOAA broadcasts. I can
recall several times when I would tune in to a local TV station and get
local reports about a storm (sometimes even with live radar). I could sit
there with a state map and tell how counties and roads that were mentioned
related to my position. I could never find a NWS or NOAA station with that
kind of resolution. Of course, coverage by NWS and/or NOAA is much greater
than TV, and if you happen to be in an area where TV reception is poor (and
I've found lots of those places) this is a useless data point. I remember
being in the Everglades and being able to receive only the sound portion of
only one station -- and it was broadcasting ice skating -- all you could
hear was music, gasp, music, applause, music, gasp -- you (don't) get the
picture. The NOAA broadcast came in loud and clear on my weather radio,
unfortunately, it was from Key West. Sometimes you can't escape a storm.
Preparing for enduring a storm can be much more important than trying to
avoid them altogether.

Galen Hekhuis NpD, JFR, GWA
Guns don't kill people, religions do