Mountain Weather

This book provides a comprehensive text describing and explaining mountain weather and climate processes. It presents the results of a broad range of studies drawn from across the world. The book is useful for specialist courses in climatology as well as for scientists in related disciplines.

* Reading clouds, wind patterns, snow conditions, and other clues, pre-trip and on the mountain * Strategies for safety and survival in adverse weather conditions * Regional mountain weather phenomena to watch for across the U.S. Working as a broadcast meteorologist, author Jeff Renner hears all too frequent reports about weather-related hiking, climbing, and skiing accidents. He'll teach you how to avoid becoming a statistic: all it takes is a little basic weather knowledge, pre-trip planning, and vigilance on the mountain. Renner discusses the best information sources to guide you, clues to watch for in the field, and how to analyze it all, with particular emphasis on potential threats due to thunderstorms, mountain winds, snow, and avalanche hazards. If you do get caught under stormy skies, he'll tell you how to limit your exposure. The book is filled with tip lists and concrete examples. Renner also includes chapters on weather patterns region by region across the U.S., highlighted by reference maps. The book is in the Mountaineers Outdoor Basics series.

This book provides readers with a broad understanding of the fundamental principles driving atmospheric flow over complex terrain and provides historical context for recent developments and future direction for researchers and forecasters. The topics in this book are expanded from those presented at the Mountain Weather Workshop, which took place in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, August 5-8, 2008. The inspiration for the workshop came from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Mountain Meteorology Committee and was designed to bridge the gap between the research and forecasting communities by providing a forum for extended discussion and joint education. For academic researchers, this book provides some insight into issues important to the forecasting community. For the forecasting community, this book provides training on fundamentals of atmospheric processes over mountainous regions, which are notoriously difficult to predict. The book also helps to provide a better understanding of current research and forecast challenges, including the latest contributions and advancements to the field. The book begins with an overview of mountain weather and forecasting chal- lenges specific to complex terrain, followed by chapters that focus on diurnal mountain/valley flows that develop under calm conditions and dynamically-driven winds under strong forcing. The focus then shifts to other phenomena specific to mountain regions: Alpine foehn, boundary layer and air quality issues, orographic precipitation processes, and microphysics parameterizations. Having covered the major physical processes, the book shifts to observation and modelling techniques used in mountain regions, including model configuration and parameterizations such as turbulence, and model applications in operational forecasting. The book concludes with a discussion of the current state of research and forecasting in complex terrain, including a vision of how to bridge the gap in the future.

Utah has long claimed to have the greatest snow on Earth—the state itself has even trademarked the phrase. In Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth, Jim Steenburgh investigates Wasatch weather, exposing the myths, explaining the reality, and revealing how and why Utah's powder lives up to its reputation. Steenburgh also examines ski and snowboard regions beyond Utah, making this book a meteorological guide to mountain weather and snow climates around the world. Chapters explore mountain weather, avalanches and snow safety, historical accounts of weather events and snow conditions, and the basics of climate and weather forecasting. Steenburgh explains what creates the best snow for skiing and snowboarding in accurate and accessible language and illustrates his points with 150 color photographs, making Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth a helpful tool for planning vacations and staying safe during mountain adventures. Snowriders, weather enthusiasts, meteorologists, students of snow science, and anyone who dreams of deep powder and bluebird skies will want to get their gloves on Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth.

Flying Colorado Mountain Weather is about reading clouds and flying mountain weather. Pilots will learn about: the joys and gravity of mountain winds; how to recognize and interpret various mountain clouds, such as unsteady lenticulars, rotors, K-H clouds, and little orphan anvils; lethal downdrafts on the windward side; how to fly mountain weather and turbulence.