Mens Shoes: Podcast # 713: How to Predict the Weather (No Apps Required).

When you’re deciding what to wear in the morning, or on the viability of some activity for the weekend, you’ll likely turn to a weather app to see what the forecast holds. My guest today would suggest supplementing that habit with another: actually going outside, looking at the sky and feeling the air in order to engage in an ancient and satisfying practice and build a more intimate relationship with the weather and the world around you.

His name is Tristan Gooley and he’s a master outdoorsman, expert natural navigator, and global adventurer, as well as the author of The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop. Tristan and I begin our conversation with how modern meteorological science is incredibly useful, but has also disconnected us from the weather signs right in front of our faces, as well as the different microclimates that can exist even on two different sides of a tree. We then do a quick review of some of the basic scientific/meteorological principles that underlie understanding the weather, before turning to the concrete, research-backed, field-tested, signs you can observe in your environment to predict the weather, like the shape and height of clouds, and why you should check those clouds from lunchtime onward. We discuss whether there’s truth to the old saying, “red sky at night, sailors’ delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning,” and what changes in plants and the behavior of animals can tell you about the coming forecast, We end our conversation with how to get started today with predicting the weather using natural signs.

If reading this in an email, click the title of the post to listen to the show.

Show Highlights

How and why we’ve become disconnected from our local weather What is a microclimate?How does heat move and why is it important to know?What is the dew point?What are the signs of an unstable environment?Your guide to clouds Cheating your way to predicting the weather The truth behind common weather lore How cities affect weather What can plants tell us about forecasting?What are some easy things that listeners can start picking up on today?

Resources/Articles/People Mentioned in Podcast

How to Read Nature — Awakening Your Sense to the Outdoors (my first interview with Tristan)How to Develop Your Nature Instinct (my second interview with Tristan)22 Old Weather Proverbs That Are Actually TrueFair or Foul? How to Use a Barometer to Forecast the WeatherThe Non-Cliche Life Lessons of Fly Fishing