Meteorology in the bush.

[Pantalaimon]

Hello,
Because I think weather is an important factor in the bush, it will be very useful to learn how to forecast the weather. And so be prepared to prepare yourself for some (extreme) weatherconditions.

Well, the most information about weather forecasting you find nowadays, is with all sorts of modern equipment you don't (want to) carry with you on a trip.
I'm looking for a way to learn to learn it the way our grandgrandgranddaddies did it: by just looking at the sort of clouds and stuff.

Anyone knows some books or something like that?

 

[SAS_MAN]

the book i use for that is collins gem weather. It is good and has pictures to. Here is a link to amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weather-Col...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211909053&sr=1-1

 

[Mungo]

I recommend that you all have a look at Samuel Chapman's web site at http://woodcraftinpoland.blogspot.com. He has been of late posting weather observations - I find it very interesting.

Mungo

 

[sam_acw]

Thanks for the mention, you can also check out the Jack Mountain Bushcraft network .
I'm working on an article at the moment but it is going to be rather on the long side.

 

[BOD]

I'm not sure that that sort of stuff was comprehensively written down.

And it has more to do with just looking at the sky. It involves an intimate understanding of the environment and generations of acute observation and reasoning.

Last year I was out in the bush with the BCUK expedition and our guide said some interesting things.

At about 8am he looked up at a small patch of sky through a gap in the canopy and said "If there is wind it will rain by 2, if not it will rain at 4pm".

Needless to say I was intrigued and waited. At 4 pm nothing happened, but at about 4.10 it did rain!

One late afternoon, it was quite overcast, but he said " It will not rain to night".

I asked him why.

"The bird told me so", he replied. It didn't rain.

On later questioning, it seems that that was a mating call. I suppose that the bird will not start making preparations for mating rituals if the weather is going to cool his lady's ardour.

That kind of knowledge I would dearly love to have but it is closed to me.


Edit: By chance the Times has an article on something like this
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/richard_morrison/article4014162.ece

 

[match]

I recently picked up this book in a second-hand bookshop and can highly recommend it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountain-Weather-Practical-Hillwalkers-Techniques/dp/1852844809

Although its tailored to hill walkers and mountaineers, it covers reading the weather without complicated equipment, and is especially good for giving tips on how to spot changes in the weather and the things you generally want to know about (storms, winds, snow etc).

for a good look at the old sayings about weather, I can also recommend this page:

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2008/alm08feb.htm

which highlights some of the more trustworthy sayings.