Do You Know What This Forecast Means?

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What a "Small Craft Warning" really means and why every boater should take it seriously.

Do you know what it means when they say, “Small Craft Warning”? Could there be a group of pirate ships on the horizon, waiting to pillage unwary pleasure boats?

Probably not.

So, what is considered a small craft? You need to know that, to see if it applies to you. But they won’t tell you.

What you need to know, and this warning should state, is that over the next 12 hours in the forecast area, winds are expected to reach a speed of between 24-38 miles per hour.

If a wind of this speed does not concern you, I guess you are not a small boat. But, in reality, you should be concerned. Winds create waves and waves create an endless number of problems for almost any boater. So if your weather forecaster says there is a Small Craft Warning, you would be wise to go bowling.

To press the point and learn what length regulators consider to be a ‘small boat’, I found this information from NOAA, the office of National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. This body provides daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring to commercial boating operations. NOAA's scientists use high-tech research and instrumentation to provide boaters planners and emergency managers with reliable information.

But they don’t measure boats.

To cover the waterfront – no pun intended – NOAA does describe three different groups of “small craft." The first is under 26 feet in overall length, the second 27-39 feet in length, and the third 40-65 feet in length. All three groups are classified as “small craft." By definition, therefore, any boat under 66 feet is considered a small craft. Mystery solved.

There is actually no shortage of weather related questions that we boaters have to deal with. One regular reader asked me: “Is there really any difference between isolated and scattered thunderstorms?" Yes, there is a difference. The term isolated showers (SCT) indicates that there is less than a 30% chance the area will experience measurable precipitation during the forecast period. Do you feel lucky? If you are a seasoned boater and not venturing too far from shore, you might go for it with one eye on the skyline.

The next day, the forecast predicts scattered showers (ISOL). This is different. It is telling you that during the forecast period, there is between a 30% and 50% chance that the area will experience measurable precipitation. That one word can mean the difference between going for a short ride or a scary ride. Now you know.

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