Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 4: Nature’s Triple Play: Wind, Weather, and Tides
Boat Bytes
Sea breezes send moisture
inland and this becomes
clouds as it rises. It’s common
in summer for the sea
to be clear and the land
covered with clouds and even
thunderheads. Provided there are
no reverse currents in the upper
air, the rain is likely to stay over
land as long as the sea breeze
blows.
Thunderheads
In various areas, the time when this breeze starts to
blow is very predictable. In my area of the Gulf Coast
throughout spring, summer, and early fall, it nearly
always starts between noon and 1 P.M. in otherwise calm
weather. For that reason, a lot of fishermen like to get
out in the morning and come in at lunch when it starts
to get bumpy, while sailors may have to wait until some
time after noon to get reasonable winds.
At night, the land cools rapidly while the sea temperature
remains nearly constant, so a breeze from land to
sea may result. Again, this most often begins several
hours after sundown, when the difference becomes
most significant.
In some 30 years of bouncing around the waterfronts, I’ve yet to hear a skipper take a
look at the sky and say something like, “Looks like some nasty cumulonimbus clouds
forming up this morning—we’re going to get some weather.” What he or she does say is,
“Uh-oh, thunderheads.”
The towering, anvil-shaped
cloud is a thunderhead. If the
anvil points in your direction,
expect a lightning
storm in short order.
(Photo credit: Frank Sargeant)
A thunderhead is an anvil-shaped cloud (technically, it’s called a cumulonimbus) that foretells
a serious thunderstorm. The direction the anvil points tells you where the storm