Safety - Weather
Dangers

From the cold.
On some of our marshes you may be cut off by the tide for up to nine hours. In the middle of January with temperatures below zero that is an extremely long time. So make sure that you take with you hot drink, some food and of course plenty of warm clothing. Cold hands and feet should never be allowed to numb, exercise them regularly to promote circulation.

Take good care of your dog. Try to avoid long swims in icy water and dry the dog off after each retrieve. Frozen mud is the most unpleasant seat for your dog. Just one quarter of a bail of straw will provide ample material to make a warm dry comfortable bed.

Snowstorms can be great fun to shoot in but remember were you have parked your car. Drifting snow will quickly block roads and tracks across the marshes leaving you stranded.

From the heat.
We can still experience very hot days in early September. Dehydration can be a problem so take plenty of water for you and your dog. Sunburn and the risk of skin cancer are very real dangers to anyone engaged in outdoor activities. Wear a hat, cover arms and use sun-blocking creams on exposed skin. Warm weather brings out clouds of blood sucking midges and mosquitoes, while they present no risk to health they can make your day most unpleasant. Choose a good insect repellent.

Dogs die in hot cars. Do not under any circumstance, leave your dog in a car that is exposed to the sun, even in winter. The temperature inside can soar in a matter of minutes.

From the tide. See Killer Storm Surge
The weather can have a dramatic effect on the height of the tide. We say dramatic and we mean dramatic, it is the difference between you going out and having a very enjoyable days wildfowling and you going out and ending up dead!

Three weather conditions will cause the tide to differ from prediction.

A strong wind from the North, anywhere between North West and North East will blow surface water down the North Sea and as the North Sea narrows that water has nowhere to go but into our estuaries, up our rivers and up comes our tide.

Conversely a strong wind from the South anywhere from South East to Southwest will blow the surface water up the North Sea and we will get a much lower tide than predicted. Beware when that wind stops because all the water that been blown up the North Sea comes surging back down into our estuaries.

When atmospheric pressure is low, there is less pressure hold the water down, so up it comes. Just a one inch fall on the barometer will cause a 14-inch rise in the height of the tide in the Medway.

The worst scenario
In the worst possible scenario Northerly gales follow a Southerly gale driven by a low pressure system coinciding with a high spring tide can bring catastrophic tidal surges in excess of 2 metres. Watch out for this surge tide. If you do not see it coming one day it will catch you out!

KWCA members can access detailed weather information through the members section of the site.

See the met office 5 day forecast: East Malling 5 day forecast