Thermal question

[Ahepler2188]

What is the affect of a thermal when the bottom level is a lake? Is it the same or does the lake make that change?
And this is only a 1000ft elevation

[flinginairos]

In for answers

[Dan T]

There's a lot of big hills and mountains that slope directly into the big lakes in my area. I find that during hunting season the water temps are usually much warmer than the ambient temps, this makes for some pretty aggressive thermals. Mostly in the up hill direction, both morning and evening. If the ambient temps are higher than the water temps, you will continue to get typical down hill thermals in the evening. Orientation of the hill to the lake plays a role too, is it perpendicular or parallel to the lake, lee side or wind driven side. One thing I will say is that the wind seems to vary a lot less and be more consistent than I deal with in some of the other micro climates I've hunted like thermal eddies in hill country and around standing water in swamps and marshes.

[Lastcast#1]

Taking stab at this , could be wrong...Standard disclaimer.

A lake is a lake regardless of the elevation.Thermal activity will occur based on the temperature gradient between it, and the land surrounding it..Water takes longer to heat up, and to cool down. However it also takes longer for water to lose energy than it does for air..

I would expect thermals to be more predictable and sometimes more or less powerful given the conditions..Think afternoon seabreeze...Wider the temp gradient, the stronger the thermal effect.

Depending on where you live and time of year ,your hunting could be affected in a couple of ways..First thing that comes to mind is the rising thermals one may expect in the evening in Hill cou try may not occur during prime time due to water remaining warm while air continues to rise from the lower elevation.
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Thats my take....

Chad

[Ahepler2188]

Good tips! So really hunting high in the PM might be a good strategy in this situation because you would most likely have thermals that are rising longer than normal from the lake surface? Say with a perpendicular slope that dumps right into the lake

[cbay]

I don't hunt right up against the shore but you may find shifty winds going back and forth from water to land. I do at times and so i try to stay up on the hills as much as possible. Anytime you have sunlight on land you will have thermal activity. I find it to be strong enough to override almost any "lake effect" type of air currents as long as i'm not right close to the shore. Then things become so unpredictable i can't tell you what condition does what most of the time.
Heavily shaded hillsides from the sun can run downhill during the day and when the air hits a warm body of water below can then take off staight up and/or run to another hot spot on another ridge.
Basically in the evening i don't count on a thermal switch until the sun gets below the treeline.

[Wlog]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DINchyvKHxs

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30749

[Rich M]

Basically in the evening i don't count on a thermal switch until the sun gets below the treeline.

The thermals shifts after the sun goes below the trees. It gets real still and the thermals kick in - that's about when you start seeing the deer.

I've not paid attention to thermals near water, but will be doing that this year.