Backcountry
Meteorology
Understanding
the weather when you are backcountry can really help you
have a much better experience and could even prove to be
a real life saver. If there is only one piece of information
that you can remember in regard to weather, remember this:
"Red
skies at night, sailors delight.
Red skies by morning, sailors take warning."
Spectacular
sunsets are not only excellent photo ops but you can rest
easy knowing that tomorrow should be a nice day. Conversely,
a beautiful sunrise is a great way to greet the day but
you should be prepared to get rained on.
All
of the tips provided here are rules of thumb. Weather can
always throw you a curve ball but if you keep a close eye
on these, you may have a better average than that guy on
tv. Still, it never hurts to take the time to ask the
locals or the local park rangers about weather patterns
in the area.
- Good
Days
- Dew
in the morning is good.
- Birds
flying high. Insects fly higher when the air pressure
is lighter.
- Brisk
wind accompanied by a dramatic temperature drop
signifies a cold, dry front.
- Stormy
Days
- Pine
cones soften when the humidity is high.
- Tree
leaves turn upside down when a storm front is moving
in.
- Smells
of the woods become much stronger when humidity
is high.
- Smoke
from fires hang closer to the ground because of
air pressure.
- Birds
are on the ground because air pressure has forced
insects lower.
- The
moon's corona will be expanding.
- Stars
will look bluer.
- Whispy
clouds that look like apostrophies followed by low,
dark clouds.
