NOAA Weather Reports

[brian eiland]

...courtesty of Yachting magazine...

Good weather information has saved many a boater from wet passages and indisposed passengers, but it is much more than that —nothing less than a matter of life and death. Fortunately, the United Stales has the best public-access weather information system in the world, thanks to the National Weather Service and its parent, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA.

Unfortunately that fact seems to be lost on U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R., Pennsylvania, who has introduced a bill to put a stop to your tax-paid buoy, satellite, ground station and meteorologist information stream—saying, in essence, to boaters: drop dead

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why a U.S. Senator would want to wreck a jewel of a system like NOAA, just follow the money. His bill would seem to benefit only Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather, a major contributor to the Senator’s PAC and re-election campaign

more

[Skippy]

Just to provide reference info, this topic has been discussed on SA.

Original thread: WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN

Repeats
Sen. Santorum wants to ban NWS public access
NWS is about to go away!
Santorum trying to privatize NOAA data for sailors

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by brian eiland

just follow the money.

This is the story to everything.

I don't care if these kind of people have an "R" or a "D" after their names, they make me angry.

Who keeps voting for these leeches?

[SailDesign]

kach22i - we all keep voting for these leeches.
It all goes to prove my point that anyone who WANTS power is the wrong person to give it to.
Do you know of a better way, though?
Steve

[marshmat]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

It all goes to prove my point that anyone who WANTS power is the wrong person to give it to.

Well said. I agree.

We in Canada have had our share of pork-barrelling too. It's really sad at times how the public interest can be trumped by profiteering. Some governments are just so wrapped up in neoliberalism that the well-being of the populace is forgotten- was America not founded as a country run by the people, for the people?

Ah well... gonna get into political ranting if I keep this up.... tell that senator he can shove his bill up his you-know-what....

[Guillermo]

I've used excellent NOAA's information several times. Please, USA fellows, just give that senator a big kick in the ass!

[Saf]

Quoteing Guillermo,

Please, USA fellows, just give that senator a big kick in the ass!

________________________________

I agree with that! Strongly! Ha ha

[buckknekkid]

Originally Posted by marshmat

Well said. I agree.

We in Canada have had our share of pork-barrelling too. It's really sad at times how the public interest can be trumped by profiteering. Some governments are just so wrapped up in neoliberalism that the well-being of the populace is forgotten- was America not founded as a country run by the people, for the people?

Ah well... gonna get into political ranting if I keep this up.... tell that senator he can shove his bill up his you-know-what....

I hope that you do not think that this behaviour has changed, we simply have a new set of thieves to dream up ways to line their pockets.

[antonfourie]

We can only hope that it rains on him cause the AccuWeather forecast was wrong and he did not bother to check the NOAA forecast

[cal]

this sort of thing is so angering.

[timgoz]

I almost always vote, even voted for Santorum his first election. The last
10+ yrs. I have voted.

The choices were so disgusting to me this election, that I did not vote.

I did not even know what Santorum tried to do to the NOAA. His other actions & inactions had already blew it with me.

Good riddance. Now Sen. elect Casey can have opportunity to shaft us, which I am absolutely sure he will do.

I'm gonna get my mind back on boats, because these guys all make me sick.

Take care.

TGoz

[Smoothride]

NOAA 'aint just for boats Y'all!

NOAA is the first line of defense for commercial / private pilots also.

This link may be useful to mariners also; you can get up to date wind and visibility data along the coast if you need it for trends/ the big picture. Radar/Satellite, surface prognostic charts, etc...
Go to the TAFS tab, type in the identifier for the airport you are close to (KBOS, boston, KSAN, san diego, KEWR, newark etc...). Select translated (not raw format). Click "get TAFS and METARS" and it will spit out the current and forecast conditions in Zulu/GMT.

http://adds.aviationweather.gov/


Example:
METAR text: KSEA 180753Z 16005KT 10SM CLR M01/M05 A3039 RMK AO2 SLP301 T10061050 400391028
Conditions at: KSEA (SEATTLE/METRO, WA, US) observed 0753 UTC 18 December 2006
Temperature: -0.6°C (31°F)
Dewpoint: -5.0°C (23°F) [RH = 72%]
Pressure (altimeter): 30.39 inches Hg (1029.2 mb)
[Sea-level pressure: 1030.1 mb]
Winds: from the SSE (160 degrees) at 6 MPH (5 knots; 2.6 m/s)
Visibility: 10 or more miles (16+ km)
Ceiling: at least 12,000 feet AGL
Clouds: sky clear below 12,000 feet AGL
Weather: no significant weather observed at this time

Ever been in (for example) san diego bay and wondered what the winds were, well here's a list of phone numbers and frequs. for the US, just click on what state you live in, and a map with all the frequs and phone #s comes up. Just another tool for the super slick mariner , gotta love NOAA!

http://www.faa.gov/asos/map/map.htm


--SR

[Thunderhead19]

There's actually a good rant about Santorum on Larry Flint's website. It's gotten so that I think he's an idiot, and I've only heard his name twice in my life, and never met the guy.

[nero]

A better system would result if corporations and business and unions were not allowed to participate in the election process. Fixed and equal media time and methods for each candidate. No party systems allowed. Every legal voter is required to vote. And a "not him" vote allows to subtract a vote from a candidate.

And no career politians.

[eponodyne]

Wouldn't it be nice if they had to release a job resume? At least then we could vote for the people who've spent time working with their hands. Even if it was years and years ago for them, I think it informs one's life if you've (say) ever had to build tow on the Ohio River in the November rain in the middle of the night. You understand, then, how important BOTH good health care (oh my achin' back!) and the 12-foot-channel project are.

I like the "Not him" vote. I'd like to see it be made law that no Senator or Representative can be allowed to earn more per year than the mean income of his/her constituents. Ya folla? That would weed out the parasites pretty quickly.