Learning a bit of Meteorology

Fascadale

Fascadale

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Whats the best way to do this?

I've done the RYA courses, I've looked at a few websites but I'm still a bit confused.

Recommendations would be welcome for good weather books to read etc.

(Or maybe being confused is something I just have to accept)
 
" The Weather Guide" ISBN 0 600 00099 0 by A G Forsdyke.
An old publication but a very good book. There are copies still avail, search online.
 
In the end, you just have to go out and get wet. You will start to recognise fronts and the conditions for fog or changing winds. Back in the 70s you could take down the coastal weather reports from BBC long wave and make your own forecasts, as I did several times a day during the Morning Cloud gale - lots of force 11s. It is combining book knowledge and practice that will make you confident.
 
Pleased to hear I am in the loo ;) That's exactly the way the book was written, short snippets for quick looks :)

You'd be welcome at Weather School too (do a thread search to see what others say).

Best bit of advice when learning meteorology is 'don't panic'! It is an inexact science, and although you may look around at others who seem to have vast weather knowledge, very few actually do! There will be situations which are new to everyone, so relax, use a pressure chart with fronts marked on each day (such as at http://www.weatherweb.net/wxwebchartsukmofronts.php?chart=ppva89.gif) and learn to recognised the features and the weather they bring.

I'm always happy to help via the forum if there is something you get stuck with.

Simon
 
dylan said:
" The Weather Guide" ISBN 0 600 00099 0 by A G Forsdyke.
An old publication but a very good book. There are copies still avail, search online.
Click to expand...

I have that one and jolly good it is, too. From the same series I also have "sailing" also good. In fact it got me into sailing.
 
I would recommend meteorology by Kemp and Young.

Probably almost everyone who ever went through the old D.O.T. has a copy. Its just a very simple basic text book direct to the syllabus. Concise, Simple and easy to understand. For the basic theory. Dry and Adiabatic rather than entertaining.
In reality the best way to learn and understand the weather is to observe the weather. The Marine Observers Guide. I think that what it was called used to have excellent pictures of cloud types.

Take the forecast regularly. And watch what happens. It all starts to make sense. Like many things, an abstract description from a book often does not make sense until you can see it happen in the real world.

It becomes an obvious logical progression
The sun disappears It starts to get cloudy,
Clouds coming from the west. Getting darker.
Wind from the SE. getting stronger.
You don’t even need a barometer to guess its falling.
If you live anywhere in the UK you already know what’s probably going to happen next.
 
johnalison said:
In the end, you just have to go out and get wet. You will start to recognise fronts and the conditions for fog or changing winds. Back in the 70s you could take down the coastal weather reports from BBC long wave and make your own forecasts, as I did several times a day during the Morning Cloud gale - lots of force 11s. It is combining book knowledge and practice that will make you confident.
Click to expand...
This can still be done!
 
Fascadale said:
Whats the best way to do this?

I've done the RYA courses, I've looked at a few websites but I'm still a bit confused.

Recommendations would be welcome for good weather books to read etc.

(Or maybe being confused is something I just have to accept)
Click to expand...

You can have a look at this:
http://www.aztecsailing.co.uk/newaztec/theory/ch5/Weather.html

It covers the basic knowledge. I'm working on the Ocean Meteorology at the moment, and will tell this forum when it's live.

Comments to me always welcome.
 
Your not the first person to say you feel you want/need to learn some more met. We have partly overcome this by putting together a one day course that takes things some what further than there is time for on the RYA Day Skipper and Yachtmaster Courses. At the risk of being accused of commercial posting and in answer to your question here is some info on the Weather For Yachtsmen Course, http://www.stormforce.biz/Products/86/Weather-for-Yachtsmetn.html We have been running it for a few years now, although just recently overhauled it based on what we have learned delivering it up to now.
 
The key things are to look at the synoptic chart forecast and the Jetstream forecast. The Jetstream has the most significant affect on weather over Europe because the lows run down it.
 
Nice shot of the clouds and corresponding Jet Stream..
9c17740bc698776c41fff1a55716a823_zps02fe9f59.jpg

.
59c5f811c8173e204d0a8055f621b398_zps32a9a5ac.jpg
 
KellysEye said:
The Jetstream has the most significant affect on weather over Europe because the lows run down it.
Click to expand...

I know the Jetstream is a good indicator of the Low's path, but it should be noted that the Jetstream does not actually "drive" the low; it forms over the boundary between two airmasses, and frontal weather systems (ie. Lows) track along that boundary.
 
> but it should be noted that the Jetstream does not actually "drive" the low; it forms over the boundary between two airmasses, and frontal weather systems (ie. Lows) track along that boundary

I didn't use the word 'drive' I used 'run' similar to 'track'.
 
KellysEye said:
I didn't use the word 'drive' I used 'run' similar to 'track'.
Click to expand...

But you did also say the jet stream affects the weather over Europe, suggesting causation rather than mere indication. Not singling you out; I often see weather-presenters describe the jet stream as causing weather events, and just wanted to make it clear to the other readers, that is not the case.
 
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