What is a Katabatic Wind?
Heavier gases sink, lighter gases rise. That is how a hot air balloon works: the warm air expands making it lighter than the surrounding air…
Category: Weather
A Plein-Air Artists’ Manual
One of the great joys of natural navigation is that it intrigues such a wide variety of people, something it shares with food. We can’t…
How to Beat the Wind
I’ve been faced with an interesting weather challenge recently. I needed to take a sail off my boat for maintenance. This is something I can…
The Golden Leyland Cypress
My thanks to regular correspondent, Alban Cambe, for these excellent images. Which direction are we looking in the top picture above? Regular readers will spot…
Which Way Are We Looking? Basketball Edition
I walked out this morning into a white and frosty world to discover lots of interesting patterns in the land. Two questions: What direction are…
Which Way Are We Looking? Dead Pigeon Edition
Merry Christmas! Which direction are we looking in the picture above? It was taken in West Sussex, southern England. Answer in the New Year. PS.…
The Case of the Lost Flamingo
Have a good study of the picture above. Something looks out of place, but what is it? It is tempting to think that this snowy…
Snow that Survives
There is plenty of snow on this tree stump, but very little nearby, why? The stump means that the tree that was once there has…
What is a Frost Hollow?
A frost hollow is a local low point in a landscape where cold dense air collects overnight. It is also known as a ‘frost pocket’.…
The 75 Best Books of 2021
The Secret World of Weather has made The Telegraph’s ‘The 75 Best Books of 2021‘. You might also enjoy: How to Find Your Way Using…
A Big Green Dew Machine
My thanks to Peter Gibbs for this gem of an email: I thought you might like this observation from today. I’ve been working in the…
Which Way Are We Looking? Snowdonia
I spent much of last week exploring a part of the Snowdonia National Park in Wales that I hadn’t been to before. I took the photo…
What are Anticrepuscular Rays?
If there was no atmosphere the daytime sky would like the nighttime one, but with a fiercely bright star where the sun was. Air is…
Sounds Make a Map
A Guide to Exploring Soundscapes Sounds make a map. Here is an easy exercise to help you hone your understanding of sound maps. It is…
Nature’s Clues & Signs – Grey Mare’s Tail
Grey Mare’s Tail is a nature reserve near Moffat, Southern Scotland. The reserve is named after a very beautiful 60m waterfall. In August I hiked up…
Gradient Affects Sunrise and Sunset Times
Sunrise and sunset come earlier when you are looking uphill and later when you are looking downhill. In this photo it looks like the sun…
Which Way Are We Looking? Budleigh Salteron Edition
My thanks to everyone who joined me for my talk on The Secret World of Weather at the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival on Friday. It…
Nature’s Clues & Signs – Polzeath
During a week’s family holiday in Polzeath, North Cornwall, we enjoyed a six-day heatwave (yes, a high pressure system sat over us). I slipped away…
What is the Planetary Boundary Layer?
From The Secret World of Weather: The lowest part of the atmosphere is the only area strongly influenced by the sun’s radiative heating of the…
Sign of a Barefoot Runner
My thanks to Tim Crook for his very interesting emails and for permission to share here. Hi Tristan You suggested getting in touch if we…
The Meaning of Cloud Streets
On a flight back from Spain to the UK, we were treated to a great display of “cloud streets” over France. They form parallel to…