Cloud Types
As you well know, the weather in the UK is irregular at best of times. But having a small understanding of weather patterns can insure you have a safe day in the mountains.
When looking at the weather, we always take in 2 key factors, the weather and the Climate of that particular area in which we are going to visit. But what is the difference?
Well a simple saying always helped me to remember:
Weather is what you get and the Climate is what you expect. This can be true for most places in the British Isles.
So on your planning phase of you expedition or adventure into the mountains, take a small amount of time to research the climate for that time of year. There are several sites on the internet that all have to do is type in the mountain area you are going to walk or climb and it will tell you everything you need to know about the climate conditions you will expect to encounter on your expedition.
The one thing most people do forget is that when walking in the mountains during winter and there is a layer of snow on the ground. You still can get sun burnt and snow blindness; do to the sun reflecting of the surface of the snow. Ensure you have sun cream, sun glasses (polaroid lens) and lib balm.
Looking at the weather Patterns
But the most helpful way in telling what the weather is about to do is being able to read the natural signs of the clouds and winds. By understanding these you will further increase the confidence of the rest of the party in your abilities to look after their safety whilst on the mountains. Below are several photos of cloud formations and what sort of precipitation you should expect to see from each one.
High Level Clouds are between 5-13km above sea level these might give you a very fine drizzle of rain, which would last no more then 5-10mins.
Mid Level Clouds are between 2-7km above ground level. These are usually the start of a prolonged shower of rain, but nothing to be concerned with.
Low Level Clouds are anything below 3km above the ground but their height can raise up to 1900m (the Cumulonimbus). When you are in the mountains and you start to see Cumulus clouds forming at a Low altitude, expect rain to follow. As these clouds become more dense expect heavier rain, thunder storms or even snow and hail when they are at their max height and very dark in colour.
One other factor to be wary about with the clouds is to take in the weather. If it is a hot sunny day, a light cloud cover could act as a natural sun block and like wise a cold day with cloud cover will stop the heat from the sun getting through.
An old wives tale I go by has helped me out in the past up in Scotland in February 1998. A good night leads to a bad day and a bad night tends to be a good day.
