The National Weather Service wants to change the name of its traditional Small Craft Advisory to a Small Craft Warning, and it wants your help.
The NWS wants to make the change in the spirit of simplifying things. Its other marine warnings are, well, warnings: Gale Warning, Storm Warning, Hurricane Warning. The Small Craft Advisory was pretty much sticking out there by itself.
Now, as part of its Hazard Simplification Project, the NWS wants to remove the “Advisory” for small craft and make it match the other “Warnings.” It also wants to end its “Special Weather Statement” and “NOWcast” messages.
And it wants feedback from the boating public. You can take the survey below to tell the NWS what you think about all this. The survey ends on May 24. You also can send comments to HazSimp@noaa.gov
The Weather Service issues a Small Craft Advisory when winds are expected from 18 to 33 knots and seas are four feet or more. These requirements can vary a bit from region to region, and it’s up to the individual operator to determine if his vessel is safe in those conditions.
The NWS does not have an exact definition of what qualifies as a small craft, except to say they are “small boats, yachts, tugs, barges with little freeboard, or other low-powered craft.” You have to use your head. It’s obviously one thing to go out on a 25-foot boat in 18-knot winds, and quite another to go out in 33-knot winds.
For its part, BoatUS supports the NWS in the Advisory/Warning effort. “We think the name change will help clarify what this means, leading to a better understanding of the severity of a marine weather forecast, and will help give recreational boaters the information they need to make smart choices about boating safety,” said David Kennedy, BoatUS government affairs manager.
You can take the survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VZGX6BF
