I want to go on the water tomorrow morning, but forecasts says Chance of Thunderstorm.  Would you guys go out?  I haven't been out on my kayak for over a week now.  So I'm dying (yes nice choice of words) to get out!  First three day weekend, so far 2 out of the three days says chance.  Darn it!

You should be fine - just keep an out out for the weather while out on the water and don't stray too far away from where you put in.  And remember: if you can hear thunder, lightning can strike you!

Yes. Go early as physically possible. Keep an eye on the sky . If it starts to LOOK iffy, head towards the launch. If you hear thunder, get off the water. Trust your instincts. Don't talk yourself into a bad situation.

I have been jumped on by a tstorm in the ocean, about half a mile out from shore in my kayak. I had waterspouts and lightening crashing all around me. You do not want to do that. ..... trust me.

This morning when I went out my front door, it was cloudy and raining. Weather.com said it was partly sunny with a 0% chance of rain. It truly surprises me at how bad the forecasts can be.

I would take the day off from fishing and drive to the nearest Bass Pro Shops.

I want to go on the water tomorrow morning, but forecasts says Chance of Thunderstorm.  Would you guys go out?  I haven't been out on my kayak for over a week now.  So I'm dying (yes nice choice of words) to get out!  First three day weekend, so far 2 out of the three days says chance.  Darn it!

 

What's the percentage? Hit the water early for a little while, and then get out when the temp rises and the chance of thunderstorm is the highest. 

A "chance" of thunderstorms is usually an indication of an approaching front (prefrontal conditions). I have had some of my best days on the water in prefrontal conditions. That being said, safety is a serious concern. Thunderstorms can bring conditions of stiff winds, heavy rains, as well as lightening. All of those things can be dangerous. I would definitely go but I would not get too far from where I put in just in case I needed to evacuate quickly. Remember also, a chance of thunderstorms also means a chance of no thunderstorms. Take your rain gear and go just remain aware of conditions around you and you should be alright.

I always prepare to go.  The day of the trip I wake up early and check the radar and the percentages.  By then, you should be able to tell by the radar when a thunderstorm will hit and if you will get caught in it.  If the radar shows nothing I always go.  If the future radar shows nothing or very spotty I go as well.  I only stay home when the radar shows no chance of avoiding lightning. 

 

My grandson and I woke up at 4:00 AM a couple of weeks ago to go fishing and the weather channel app showed a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms which isn't much; however, the radar showed that the location where we were going to fish would get hit in about 30 minutes and the future radar function showed that it would last until mid-morning.  I kept checking the radar for an hour and a half, and looked for other areas but all appeared to be in the path of the storm or were already getting hit by it so we cancelled.  It turned out to be the right decision as some very strong winds and lightning hit the lake where we had planned to go. 

My last trip was a for 3 days. We had a long float planned for day 2. For the 2 days leading up to day 2, the forecast was calling for 70% to 90% chance of rain for every hour of daylight. We nearly cancelled the trip but when we got up the morning of day 2, no rain was in the forecast. We enjoyed sun all day. You can never tell what's going to happen tomorrow.

I want to go on the water tomorrow morning, but forecasts says Chance of Thunderstorm.  Would you guys go out?  I haven't been out on my kayak for over a week now.  So I'm dying (yes nice choice of words) to get out!  First three day weekend, so far 2 out of the three days says chance.  Darn it!

 

I've been out in T-storm watches and warnings ("worse" than "chance of") - always with an eye to the sky and my iPhone handy checking the radar often. Fortunately I've got a good connection at my favorite lake and get up-to-the-minute.

 

I've missed some huge storms as a result, in the nick of time. No sooner is my yak loaded in the back of my truck that the wind starts howling, the rain blowing sideways, and lightning everywhere.

If you've got it anything like here in SoFla, it'll rain every day in the summer from about 1-4, give or take an hour. Every day. Without fail. All of them. Regardless of Weather forecast.......... All the days 

 

But definitely don't want to be out if t storms are coming. I'd say just start early as you can.

SE Pennsylvania is supposed to have storms all weekend. Which is why I didn't go out today. It hasn't stormed once!

Move to south Florida in the summer and youll get the same report everyday.  Chances of THUNDERSTORMS!!!

I take most weather predictions with a grain of salt. To me a "chance" of a storm means the weatherman has no idea what's going to happen and they say that just to be safe.

It was "supposed" to rain all day today. If I listened to the weather man I wouldn't have been out fishing

LMB, great question.

 

I have read on a professional weatherman's blog about the TV and radio weather forecasters who he says, "drives me crazy" and the reply from Andrew Friedan of NBC12 in Richmond, Virginia, the leading forecaster on TV in the area:

 

Here is what he and Andrew say about the TV and radio weather reports:

1.  Their reports are for their entire viewing area. So if there is a chance of rain 100 miles north of you they will say there is a chance of rain and give the percentage.

2.  They do not want to be accuse of "downplaying" bad weather. They will error on the side of the bad weather to avoid problems with their viewing audience.

3.  Private forecasters can take chances with their reports while the TV and radio forecasters cannot. See #2 above.

4.  TV weather reports are now featuring "hour by hour" computer generated forecasts so you can note the time of the day and its impact on your activities.

 

We are fortunate in the greater Richmond area to have both WXRisk.com and his Facebook page plus the Funtime Virginia Aeronuts web site, http://www.funtimevaaeronuts.org/weather/weather3.htm which gives us a clearer picture of what the weather will be in our area.

 

I use my Weather Radar app on my iPhone when I am on the water to double check for thunderstorms and high winds.  Couple the WXRisk.com data with the Funtime site and support it with the radar on my iPhone gives me a very clear picture of the weather for the day.

 

Just be cognizant of thunderstorms and high winds if they are in the forecast when you venture out on the water.  While on the Pamunkey last month prefishing for a tournament my nonboater and I were watching the skies for storms and did not see any until 10 minutes later when we heard thunder.

 

Sure enough, to our south was a big thunderstorm that came out of no where. Being the strong and secure and know-it-all men we are we hightailed it back to the ramp and got out of the water pronto! And so did two other bass fishermen at the same time.

 

So take what the TV guys say with a grain of salt and be watchful of the skies at all times.

 

 

As soon as you get up check the weather.  You can usually get a pretty good idea of which way the storms are moving by looking at the radar maps.

My opinion is that in the summer there is "always a chance of a Thunderstorm", I go out regardless.  Keep an eye to the sky and if the clouds become very dark and it gets windy, you should probably wait for the storm to pass.

My opinion is that in the summer there is "always a chance of a Thunderstorm", I go out regardless. Keep an eye to the sky and if the clouds become very dark and it gets windy, you should probably wait for the storm to pass.

x2

If you expect storms, and If it's possible, fish areas that will be upwind of your launch. Nothing worse than trying to paddle your kayak into a strong wind to get off the lake.

Move to south Florida in the summer and youll get the same report everyday.  Chances of THUNDERSTORMS!!!

Exactly the first thing I thought of.

Just part of life down here. We have some pretty powerful storms pop up almost every day. Just gotta keep an eye on the weather where you're fishing. I wish the weather reporters would just say you've got a 50/50 shot of it pouring on you.

Days Like that I go out and get ready, and get out there early. I use a weather app (Weatherbug) and monitor where the storms are. I never let rain deter the trip, and I actually carry ponchos just in case. Lightning is a different beast though. If my app says it is with in 15 miles or so I WILL NOT go out. I love fishing but want to live another day to do it.

 

 

Chance of storms tonight in my neck of the woods...the charger is plugged in and the boat is hooked up!

If I didn't go out when there was a chance of T-storms, I'd miss a ton of fishing up North. But it is important to plan. Just last Sunday the morning started beautiful and then some clouds rolled in. My wife and I were in a small lake in our yaks. I told her to start moving towards the launch when we heard thunder. I then tossed out one more cast and a large lightning bolt struck about a mile away. I promise I have never paddled that hard in my life! Since we were prepared it only took about 60 seconds to get off the water.

 

Point is, don't be silly but don't let the weather forecast stop you either.

I didnt go either lol

I looked at the radar and the amount of red confirmed my fears...the storms were light at my place but the lake got hammered!