During any extended stay in nature, it is more than useful to know what the weather is like. When you leave home, you can easily find out by checking the forecast, but what if you are already in nature?! Carrying a transistor radio can (partially) solve your problem, but still, here are a few proven and practical methods by which you can find out what the weather is like in the next few hours or days...
When it is clear and the Moon has a shadow (ring) around it, the wind will blow tomorrow.
A yellow-red sunset with a horizon on which low clouds without shape or form can be seen also predicts a bad day tomorrow.
Bad weather is also predicted by the flickering of stars, a distant view, echo transmission, the stirring of various types of clouds, the raising of fog on the mountains, the absence of morning dew, western and southern winds.
If the wind is blowing, say from the east, and in the east there are low gray clouds (nimbostratus) or some black and brown clouds (cumulonimbus) rolling across the sky, be assured that there will be rain and bad weather soon.
Observe the animals…
Tall game (deer, roe deer…) comes out to graze earlier (before dark) if bad weather is coming soon. They feed quickly, are very nervous, constantly listen, raise their heads and try to get away as soon as possible.
An hour or two before a downpour, birds fly very low, catching bugs that the air pressure has forced closer to the ground.
If a bird is seen at high altitude, then its flight is very fast, frightened, and with signs of an obvious hurry to find shelter.
Look around you. If you notice smoke from a chimney or a fire - observe it.
A sign of bad weather is the scattering of smoke immediately after it leaves a chimney or fireplace. When the smoke rises nicely, in a straight line, you can be sure that there will be no rain for the next 24 hours.
Small, beautifully formed clouds that are very high (cirrus and cirrostratus) are a sure sign of good weather.
"Forerunner" clouds can be somewhat larger (circumulus), but they are always light or snow-white.
For those who have the means or conditions, I will also mention how the stability of the weather can be predicted very reliably using a barometer.
A steady, slow increase in pressure throughout the day promises a longer period of good weather. An increase of 4-6 mm over 6 hours indicates a short improvement.
A rapid drop in pressure means the weather is getting worse.
A slight drop over 24 hours is caused by increased air heating and does not mean the weather is getting worse.
Repeated drops and increases in pressure indicate unstable weather.
Before planning any trip to nature, be sure to find out what the weather is like in the coming days, because depending on that you will know what to expect and what equipment or clothing to bring.
