Reading the Weather

It seems these days we've become further removed from even the most basic skills. When it comes to survival, it is paramount to be able to tell what the weather is going to do so you don't get caught unprepared. You should take advantage of every clue you are given. The sooner you realize that bad weather is on it's way, the sooner you can start preparing for it and the better off you will be. Ignore the signs, fail to act accordingly, and you can quickly find yourself in a very bad situation.

We'll start with the recognizing weather patterns by the clouds. Not many people bother to look up and pay attention anymore. They are great indicators of what's to come.

Cumulus


These clouds form around mid-day as low lying clouds resembling cotton. Usually a sign of good weather. During the summer months, they can grow and rise in altitude as the afternoon progresses turning into storm cells.

Nimbus


These clouds are dark low clouds that are filled with rain. Clouds bearing the "nimbus" name just means that rain is already falling out of them. Any type of cloud can have "nimbus" tacked on at the end of it's name if it's producing precipitation.

Cirrus


These clouds are high altitude clouds that look like wisps of smoke. Usually a sign of fair weather, but in northern regions can build and foretell incoming blizzards if they are accompanied by increasingly stronger and steady winds coming from the north.

Stratus


These clouds are low, gray clouds that generally stretch over the whole sky. They are your typical rainy/snowy day clouds. Seeing these generally means that weather has set in and you need to be prepared for a long period of light to moderate precipitation.

Cirrocumulus


These little round high altitude clouds are signs of good weather to come.

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It's important to pay attention to all the signs given to you. Reading the winds play an important role too. Knowing how weather typically moves in on your area is something worth studying. The most severe storms here are often preceded by southerly winds bringing moisture up the mountain chain where it meets and fuels systems from the west. It usually won't snow here when winds come out of the north and the temperature drops suddenly. The same with snow. I can usually call it a day in advance whether it's going to come or not. If the temperature plummets and winds come from the north, the mountains are going to catch all the snow. If it's coming from the south and the temperature rises but hovers around freezing, we're in for some weather.

You should pay attention the same way and learn your weather patterns. Of course that's increasingly difficult in today's indoor society. Prepare. Introduce yourself to nature before it becomes important. It's just as good for the soul as it is the body.

Copied verbatim with permission from MountainWoodsman

I always watch what the ants are doing to predict the weather. If it's going to be really cold or wet they start scrambling for supplies like crazy. If the ants start to really build up there mound around the main opening You can be pretty sure it's going to come a frog strangler. If the ants have basically a bucket brigade to your outside animals water bowl/trough you can be pretty certain of a long dry spell.

My great grandmother showed me about the ants when I was a kid and I've paid attention to them ever since. They are much better at predicting the weather than your local t.v. weatherman!

reply to post by littled16


Oooh! Very good info! I've always watched the animals, but never heard ants were such good indicators! That's awesome!

i always remembered the old weather tells' from my grandparents. this one was about the color of the sky("pink at night sailors delight,pink in the morning sailors take warning") or the one about white oak trees, the leaves flipover or become lighter color of green(noticeable difference) 2-4 hours before rain,so when you hear it's going to rain look around your neighborhood and watch for a tree to change color or from a 1905 american&canadian sportsmans encyclopedia the "reliable weather signs" list.pale yellow sky at sunset wet weather soon,rain with east wind is lengthy,when bettels' fly expect a fine tomorrow,busy spiders mean fine weather,spiders tearing down their webs means rain, flys bite harder on approaching storms,when dogs sniff the air frequently look out for a change in weather,birds flying high indicate good weather,heavy dew means dry weather to follow,low clouds moving swiftly indicates coolness and rain,birds and animals travel away from water in the morning and twards water at night.now as for how many of these still hold true 100 some yrs later most seem to be pretty accurate in my experience.

reply to post by PayMeh


Real quick...
the first cloud is a clear sign that a storm is building... you can tell from it's sharp defined edges....
the second cloud with its fuzzy outline indicates that storm is almost over...

with fall and winter fast approaching... look for lowering clouds... that can cover you in fog or freezing rain