How Lakeglance scores lake conditions

Every lake page turns the National Weather Service forecast into a simple call for four activities: Good, Use caution or Stay ashore. The calls are a starting point for your own judgment, not a safety rating.

The limits we use

All speeds are in knots. A call is Good only when both sustained wind and gusts are at or under the first pair of numbers. It becomes Stay ashore when either goes past the second pair.

Activity	Good up to	Caution up to
Kayak and SUP	8 kt, gusts 12	12 kt, gusts 18
Fishing	12 kt, gusts 18	18 kt, gusts 25
Sailing	15 kt, gusts 20	20 kt, gusts 25
Power boating	15 kt, gusts 20	20 kt, gusts 28

Adjustments on top of wind

• Thunderstorms in the forecast make every activity Stay ashore. Lightning is the biggest single risk on open water.
• Light air under 4 kt drops sailing to Use caution, because you will spend more time drifting than sailing.
• Rain likely (60 percent or higher) moves paddling and fishing down to Use caution.
• Cold water under 60°F turns a Good paddling call into Use caution, since a capsize can trigger cold water shock.

The hourly colors

The 24-hour and 3-day strips color each hour with a 0 to 100 score. For sailing, the score peaks between 8 and 14 kt and falls off for both lighter and stronger wind. For the other activities the score falls steadily as wind rises. Every activity loses points when gusts run more than 8 kt above the average, because gusty air is harder to handle than steady air of the same strength.

What the score cannot see

Your boat, your experience, the water temperature at the launch, local wind shadows, and posted rules all matter more than a number on a screen. A 20 kt day is a great sail for a keelboat crew and a bad idea for a first-time dinghy sailor. Check park wind rules and advisories before you go.