How to find out about the weather in the mountains?
I decided to write about the main services for viewing weather in the mountains.
In my expeditions and ascents I use three services. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. I won’t presume to talk about the accuracy of these forecasts in the CIS countries. But in the northern hemisphere, these services show the weather quite well for the next day or two. All other options of 4-6 days are like going to a fortune teller. You need to understand that the mountains have their own microclimate, and it can be different in different gorges. As usual, in the summer there is sun in the Elbrus region, and rain in Mestia. But when planning your trip or during it, it’s important to use weather maps to understand how quickly the weather will change and how it might affect the outcome of your adventure.
www.meteoblue.com – a universal service that gives forecasts for cities, regions, and you can specifically find a mountain object: Elbrus, Mont Blanc or Goverla if you enter it into the search field. The service is English-language and is not adapted for a Russian-speaking audience. In addition to the visualization of weather conditions, which is understandable to all of us, the site has the opportunity to view a map of precipitation in real time and an hourly historyам.
There is also a meteogram mode.
And even a weather map.
One of the interesting things on this site is that it is possible to look at the weather archive, look at the climate for a given area (temperature, wind, number of sunny days, precipitation depending on the season), comparison of weather by year, wind rose for a given object, area)
By years, you can compare a lot of parameters for the selected period
And it’s all absolutely free! The application supports external websites – you can install a widget on a website page, download the application to your phone, and you can also order paid climate studies and weather support.
meteoexploration.com – an English-language service that also allows you to view the weather for a specific object, for example Kazbek.
There is a familiar interface with icons and numbers, as well as the ability to view a weather map, the location of satellites that read information about the movement of air currents on the surface of the earth, a webcam (if there is one at the top or near it), and various meteors.
More informative meteograms and the ability to view the weather for the past week.
Among the interesting things on the site, you can order weather support for your expedition and receive all weather updates in real time with adaptation for the average person, with a user-friendly interface. It is very convenient that you can see the weather by altitude.
And now a service that is familiar to many.
mountain-forecast.com – an English-language service that also allows you to view the weather for a specific object, for example Mont Blanc.
Intuitively, everything is very simple and clear, nothing superfluous and no additional options except paid ones: weather archive by day or weather for 9 days. But it is possible to view a weather map for the region and country.
Among the interesting things is the opportunity to read short notes about the mountain, find out the optimal climbing season, and even look at photographs or check the weather on neighboring peaks that are in the links. You can also view the weather by altitude.
Perhaps this site has the most convenient interface!
The nuances of using these forecasts in the mountains. In the Caucasus the most accurate mountain-forecast.com и meteoexploration.com. The latter will probably be more accurate.
In Europe, all services work well.
Recommendations:
At the beginning of your trip, it’s good to have a weather report for the next week, and then update it if possible: you have access to the Internet or by phone. This will allow you to adjust your plans according to location. When analyzing data, check at least two sites if you take a short-term forecast.
If there is a local weather service in the area, much is simplified and you will not get a more accurate forecast for the mountain than here, so check about such a forecast on the spot.
Remember that the hydrometeorological center makes mistakes once, but every day and take into account the climatic features of the mountainous region where you are planning a trip, analyze the signs of weather changes (cirrus clouds, changes in wind direction, lens-shaped clouds over the peaks, a smoky moon, twinkling stars, etc. ). In summer, precipitation can often be local; take this into account when making radial trips and ascents.
Good luck in the mountains!
In addition to the resources described, I can also recommend: application e-weather, www.wunderground.com, yr.no
Article author: Oleg Ivanchenko