Weather

If you think the advice in this infographic is nutty, heretical, or (to be charitable) merely inadvisable; so did I until I tried it. I first read about this in Cliff Jacobson’s book Camping’s Top Secrets. Jacobson is an author, wilderness guide, Distinguished Eagle Scout, and a regular contributor to Scouting Magazine. When I interviewed Cliff on Scoutmaster Podcast 54 he mentioned that many people react negatively to this particular advice, they insist he’s wrong....

There you are, beyond cell phone range, without having seen a weather forecast in a day or two, looking at the sky and trying to read what the next day will bring. Will it rain? Is it going to get windy? Knowing how to read the weather is an important skill for Scouters and Eric Sloane’s Weather Book is a fine resource for developing your expertise. I refer to my copy (a small, well-worn, paperback found digging around in a used bookstore a couple of decades ago) regularly....

Supplement your B.S.A. Hazardous Weather Training with the free National Weather Service’s SKYWARN training. (Rick Jameson suggested this after reading Ten Causes of Scouting Disasters in the Wild – thanks Rick!) To obtain critical weather information, NOAA’s National Weather Service established SKYWARN®, a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service....

Cold weather camping in very cold weather from Northern Tier where crews regularly face temperatures lower than -20F. That’s cold! A double sleeping bag, techniques for keeping clothing from freezing, and drying out boot liners; some good advice. Okpik, (Inuit for Snowy Owl, pronounced OOk’ pick) is a winter cold weather camping program offered at Northern Tier. From a weekend in a cabin to more ambitious adventures like dog sledding Okpik has it all....

The better part of valor is discretion. Bravery (valor) is important but it may be that it is more important to avoid some situations rather than brave them. If, for some unlikely reason, I should find myself in the middle of the road I will not panic but bravely manage the situation as best I can. I will not, however, step into the middle of the road simply to prove my bravado....

Camping in the rain sounds awful – and it is if you aren’t prepared! Here’s ten tips for surviving rainy camping trips: 1. AVOID IT I have canceled or rescheduled weekend camping trips if heavy rain or horrendously bad weather is forecast. We aren’t Marines and the safety of the free world does not depend on our withstanding really awful weather. That being said camping in the rain can be great fun if you are prepared for it....

After long preparation and excited anticipation our annual backpacking trip looked like a real washout – rain from Friday night to Sunday morning. Enduring a couple of days of rain is not anyone’s idea of a great time so we are postponing until next weekend. But will next weekend’s weather be any better? Before deciding to postpone I checked with the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. The center publishes daily 6-10 and 8-14 day maps that aid long-term forecasting above or below normal temperatures and chances of precipitation (an example of a temperature map is shown above)....

Most natural phenomena are reasonably easy to grasp once explained in plain terms. But alas much is hidden from the average person behind a wall of opaque scientific jargon. Anyone with the skill to penetrate this screen with clarity and simplicity is a wonderful discovery. Eric Sloane was such an author. His books are generously illustrated with his own drawings so the reader can see exactly what the author is writing about....

What, precisely, does partly cloudy mean? Forecasters use these descriptions of sky condition based upon tenths of the sky covered by opaque (not transparent) clouds. Sky Condition Cloud Coverage Cloudy 8/8 Opaque Clouds Mostly Cloudy, or Considerable Cloudiness 6/8 to 7/8 Partly Cloudy, or Partly Sunny 3/8 to 5/8 Mostly Clear, or Mostly Sunny 1/8 to 2/8 Clear, or Sunny 0/8 Opaque Clouds

Here’s a plan for a simple plan for a tin can Barometer made from a beer or soda can and a soup can. Looks like a fun way to demonstrate the principles of barometric pressure and its relationship to weather and altitude. See the full plan and instructions at Instructables

Scoutmasters may think that the most reliable predictor of foul weather is their Troop’s camping schedule; as soon as the cars are loaded on a Friday night the sky darkens and the wind picks up. Access to the finest weather observing and forecasting technology is now available all over the web. My choice is The Weather Underground a rich collection of useful information presented in a simple, clear manner; Daily forecasts and Radar Maps...