Field Day Weather and Safety Tips

Field Day/NWS collageKD1CY writes on http://ares.ema.arrl.org:

“Since there will be many Amateurs out this weekend setting up these stations, many of which outdoors, we would like to briefly discuss the weather for Field Day weekend.

“At this time, the threat for thunderstorms and the potential for at least scattered severe weather is confined to Friday Afternoon and Friday Night from roughly Noon-9 PM. There is the potential for at least scattered severe weather tomorrow with at the very least pulse type activity. In any event, thunderstorms are a good bet for much of the region. Any Field Day sites planning to do setup on Friday should pay close attention to the weather and if threatening weather approaches seek safe shelter immediately.

“Even if severe weather does not occur at your specific site setup, lightning is one of the biggest threats to setup of these sites. Do NOT take chances. If thunderstorms approach, stop setup work and seek safe shelter. Lightning can strike as much as 20 miles away from the parent thunderstorm. Also, if you have antennas setup make sure they are properly grounded to avoid the loss of antenna equipment as best as possible. The current forecast now has the Saturday and Sunday dry with no threat of thunderstorms. [Full story]

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