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Start Date: TBA
- please let us know if you are interested
in taking this course.
Duration: 8 weeks
Location: TBA
For
more information or to register
Prerequisites: None
Cost: $110 per CPS
member, $130 for non members
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This
course covers many aspects of the formation and
behavior of the weather around us. Meteorology (the study of
weather) is quite technical in nature. In contrast,
“Fundamentals of Weather” is presented in a
straightforward manner eliminating much of the jargon.
The study of weather is both fascinating and satisfying. The
skills you will develop from this course will serve you for
a lifetime. With practice, it will become possible for you
to make short term forecasts. Challenge the professionals as
to who better predicts the weather in your local area.
You should never leave the dock without first checking
the local weather forecast. You can get weather information
from TV, radio or from one of the weather channels on your
VHF radio.
At certain times of the year weather can change rapidly
and you should continually keep a "weather eye"
out, in order to foresee changes which might be impending.
Scan the sky, especially to the west, with your weather eye.
A sudden drop in temperature and change in the wind often
mean that a storm is near. If you have a barometer on your
boat check it every two to three hours. A rapid drop in
pressure means a storm is approaching. Watch for cloud build
up, especially rapid vertically rising clouds.
With “Fundamentals of Weather” you will forecast the
weather beyond “red sky at night”.
Disclaimer: "Subject
to availability and to change without notice!"
Fun Weather Facts and Trivia:
Tree crickets are called the poor man's
thermometer because temperature directly affects their rate
of activity. Count the number of chirps a cricket makes in
15 seconds, then add 37. The sum will be very close to the
outside temperature!
How far away is lightning? During a storm, count
the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the
sound of thunder, then divide by two. The answer reveals how
many miles away the lightning is.
What causes a red sun? The red or orange color of
the rising or setting sun is caused by the increased
distance through our atmosphere its rays must pass before
reaching our eyes. Our thick impurity-laden lower atmosphere
only allows the red tones to pass through it. As the sun
rises higher in the sky, its light passes through a shorter
distance of thick atmosphere. It loses its redder tone and
takes on its characteristic yellow color.
How fast do raindrops fall? Not including
wind-driven rain, raindrops fall between 7 and 18 miles per
hour (3 and 8 meters per second) in still air. The range in
speed depends on the size of the raindrop. Air friction
breaks up raindrops when they exceed 18 miles per hour.
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