Table of Contents
About this book 6
1 Significant Weather 8
2 Looking at the Sky 14
Cloud decks 14
The cloud catalogue 16
3 Clouds and Cloudiness 24
Satellite cloudscapes 26
Clues from space 27
Holes in the clouds 29
When the isobars bend 30
Cyclonic 31
Cloudiness 32
4 From the Four Winds 34
The world's weather systems 35
Source regions 36
Blocking highs 38
Sources for America 39
Other airmasses 40
5 The Message in the Winds 42
A model depression 42
Upper winds 43
Contour charts 44
Winds over lows 45
When warmer air is coming 45
Watching the cirrus 46
Better weather coming 48
6 Weather Systems 50
Occluding depressions 51
Warm fronts 52
Signs in the sky 53
The passing front 55
The warm sector 56
The cold front 57
7 Tying Up Low Weather 59
Real situations 63
Waves in the upper westerlies 64
Proving the Crossed Winds rules 64
The rules in practice 66
8 When Cold Air is Coming 68
The cold front 69
Inversions of temperature 70
The over-night inversion 71
The subsidence inversion 72
9 Low Winds and Weather 75
The surface wind 75
Wind shifts and fronts 76
Lesser lows 78
Wave lows 79
Heat lows 80
Polar lows 80
10 A Day's Wind 82
Winds of the early morning 82
Winds in the forenoon 82
Winds in the afternoon 83
Winds coastwise 84
11 When Showers are Forecast 86
What makes a shower? 86
Looking for shower clouds 89
The life of a shower 90
Winds around showers 91
Showers on coasts 92
Other kinds of showers 93
12 Facts About Wind 95
Wind and pressure 95
Wind and coasts 98
Local winds 99
Sea-breezes 99
The sea-breeze season 102
Nocturnal winds 102
Mountain winds 103
Inland local winds 105
13 Rain and Snow 107
Drizzle 109
Rain 109
The windscreen-wiper rain-gauge 109
Rain and driving 109
Snow 110
14 High Weather 112
Blocking highs 112
Fog 114
Frost 117
15 Thunder and Lightning 120
Thunderstorm cells 121
Timing the storm 123
High level storms 123
Supercells 124
16 Some Fundamental Principles 126
17 Conclusion 136
18 Information and Explanations 138
Index 156
