How to Navigate Using Crops
We can navigate using a field of crops by tuning to any changes in height. The plants will never be the same height across a…
Tag: weather signs
The Scented Weather World of Silvan Betschart
Silvan Betschart, a Swiss-born man, is a Wetterschmöcker, a natural weather forecaster who makes his predictions by observing nature. Silvan Betschart is the youngest of…
The Meaning of Summer Mists
This morning, I stepped out into a dense mist and it was a glorious omen; I paused to check my pack for sun cream before…
The Hidden Seasons
A Calendar of Nature’s Clues and Signs ‘When we know what to look for and what it means, seasonal moments that were once hidden shine…
Victor Hugo and Nature’s Signs
My thanks to Lucy Johnson for this fascinating email and permission to share: Dear Tristan, Have you read Victor Hugo Toilers of the Sea? It’s a…
The Backstory to a Weather Book
In 2018 I set out to write a book about the weather. The plan was to stick true to a philosophy and approach that I…
What is a Temperature Inversion?
A temperature inversion occurs when a layer of warmer air traps a layer of cooler air near the surface. Temperature inversions are most common after…
8am. Which Way Are We Looking?
I took the above photo in Sussex at 8am. Which direction are we looking and why? There are some weak clues in the tree branches, slightly…
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…
The Meaning of Mist on a Summer Morning
Mist on a summer morning can be a forecast of good weather ahead. On misty mornings in summer, we can get the feeling that the…
The Cross-Winds Rule
When upper and lower winds are moving at right-angles, a major weather change is imminent. Look at the low and high clouds in the time…
How to Interpet the Weather Using the Jet Stream
What Are Jet Stream Ropes? The following is an excerpt from the book, The Secret World of Weather, by Tristan Gooley. Jet streams are snaking,…
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…
Halos, Sun Dogs and Circumzenithal Arcs
What are those bright rainbow colours in the sky, if not rainbows? My thanks to Giel Spierings for the following email and permission to share…
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…
New Sunday Times Series
Starting today, with Weather Signs, I have written a series of six weekly articles on nature’s signs for the Sunday Times Magazine. It is available…
What Does a Lightning Strike on a Tree Look Like?
When lightning strikes a tree, the high-voltage electricity flows through any water on the bark and through the sap under the bark. This heats the…
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…