Greg Fozeno

BY GREG FONZENO

During this time of the year, we often see many changes in the sky, and we need to pay attention to those changes. A clear summer sky can change quickly into a thunderstorm.

Let’s consider a weather scenario involving a lake trip. It’s Monday, and you and your family think it’s a great idea to go boating next Saturday. Since the trip is recreational, there is no reason to go if the weather is bad.

Try setting up a series of go-no-go decisions leading up to your trip. On Monday, you look at the weather forecast for the next weekend. You note there is a warm front approaching. Warm fronts indicate cloudy, humid days with a possibility of rain. We know the warm front will be followed by a cold front in this case. Cold fronts cause the wind to get stronger as air temperatures drop. At this point, the trip is still a go, but you will continue monitoring throughout the week.

On Thursday, the warm front arrives, and the forecast shows it departing on Saturday. As the warm front has nearly passed Friday evening, the forecast shows the cold front arriving Saturday. You awake Saturday morning to a beautiful clear day, but with winds approaching 30 miles per hour. To ensure everyone stays safe, you declare a nogo. However, the weather on Sunday looks perfect, so you simply delay your cruise one day.

Making go-no-go decisions also helps us once we are on the water. We might start to have a perfect day, but suddenly see the threat of wide-spread thunderstorms. If you see one coming, meaning you can hear thunder, see dark clouds approaching or see a lightning strike in the distance, make a beeline for the shore. If you can’t get back to your dock, just pull ashore anywhere and wait out the storm. If you are caught in your boat in open water, put on your life jacket (which should already be on anyway), put out the anchor and stay low in the boat.

Paying attention to the weather can make for a safer and more enjoyable trip. According to the Coast Guard’s boating accident statistics, weather was eighth out of 10 top causes of boating accidents last year. So, when the weather is risky, remember this passage from “The Cat in the Hat.” “The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house, all that cold, cold, wet day.”

Greg Fonzeno is the public education officer and vice commander of the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit (Flotilla 22) at Allatoona Lake.