What is a Shelf or Arcus Cloud?
Shelf or Arcus clouds appear near a thunderstorm and can warn of their proximity. Sometimes a cloud rides ahead and heralds the imminent arrival of…
Tag: Secret World of Weather
Which Way is the Wind Blowing?
The video above is taken from St Mary the Virgin’s church rooftop in the town of Rye, East Sussex, UK. Which direction is the wind…
What is Rime Ice?
Rime Ice There is a common type of icing that is regularly called frost, but is not formed in the same way. Rime ice occurs…
The First Long Contrail
It is very satisfying to notice the first long contrail, it’s one of the earliest warnings of a weather change. A front is likely on…
How to Tell Which Way a Storm is Heading
There is a simple technique for working out which way a distant storm is heading. Just look for the ‘finger’. Quick description: There is a…
How Can I Tell If A Cloud Will Bring Rain?
Is it going to rain? What a popular question. The key to longer-term forecasts lies in studying changes in clouds and fronts over hours, but…
How to Forecast Weather with Contrails
Below is a short excerpt from the book, The Secret World of Weather, on how contrails can be used to predict changes in weather Contrails…
How to Tell If You Are Looking at a Storm Cloud
If we see clouds growing taller, it is a sign that showers and storms are more likely than days when the clouds are flat and…
Temperature Changes in Woodland
The trees we walk under have a dramatic effect on the temperature we feel. I passed from broadleaf trees to conifers and felt the temperature…
Big Snowflakes Mean Mild Air
Really large snowflakes can only form when the edges of smaller snowflakes are still sticky and liquid. This happens when snowflakes pass through air that…
BUMPER HOLIDAYS PUZZLE
Here is a bumper photo puzzle that went out in my newsletter email earlier this month (you can sign up for that at the bottom…
The Meaning of Ice Patterns
If we look closely at ice we will often find patterns and patterns in nature always have meaning. In the photo above there is an…
The Temperature Rises Before Snow Arrives
The temperature often rises just before it snows, but why? When it is very cold in winter, we instinctively feel that snow is likely. It…
What do Scientists Read on Holiday?
Dear Mr. Gooley,I have stumbled upon your book on the secret world of weather in a small bookstore in Flagstaff, Arizona on a road trip.…
What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
What is a Distrail?
A distrail is the clear path through a cloud formed in the wake of an aircraft. Distrails form because the aircraft turns the water droplets…
Why is visibility so good in the mountains?
Many visitors to cold mountains are struck by the amazing visibility. The visibility is so good that it can trick the brain into thinking things…
Three Generations of Nature Readers
My thanks to Kareem Dieng and his family for reading my books. That’s Kareem with The Secret World of Weather, ‘Pops’ reading Lost Art of…
The Secret World of Weather – Paperback Out!
The paperback of The Secret World of Weather is out today – in the UK! I am very excited by that and this morning’s 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…
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…