What are good ways of predicting incoming weather from the downwind side of a mountain?
There are a lot of mountaineering routes that go up the downwind side of a mountain. Like the CMC route on Mt. Moran in the Tetons or the Gooseneck Glacier route on Gannet Peak.
The added danger of a route like this is that weather could build up on the upwind side, out of sight and then roll in with very little warning. While camped on the CMC route, halfway up the mountain, a thunderstorm rolled in with maybe ten minutes of warning.
Are there good ways to predict incoming weather without the ability to see the clouds coming?
2 answers
It's true that it always depends on the area you are in. But something that always indicates that a thunderstorm is coming, is that the bird are flying very close to the ground. If there are Birds on the Mountain you want to climb, you should watch them. If they are less then 100m (I guess 300ft?) above the ground, you probably start heading downhill. In my experience this warns you up to two hours before the thunder starts.
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I don't think there is any pat answer to this - weather patterns can vary widely by region and by season. All I can suggest is some commonsense approaches:
- Check the weather forecast before your climb, and on your phone or pocket radio during the climb if you have reception. In the US, you could also use weather radio.
- Ask locals and rangers about local patterns and what signs to watch out for. For example in the Western Alps local guides have given me very specific advice about the warning signs of afternoon thunderstorms on a specific range at a specific time of year.
- Carry an altimeter and watch for sudden drops in pressure.
- Stay alert to obvious signs such as the wind backing, a lowering cloud ceiling or fast developing cumulonimbus formations.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/13735. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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