Winter Weather Links

Posted
February 13, 2015

Posted in

Planning an outdoor adventure, be it a hike, ski, over-night trip, or just a walk through the woods? Winter weather is definitely something to consider. And, the weather out your back door may be drastically different from where you intend to recreate. An accurate local forecast is needed for proper planning, so you know if you will need the basic winter gear, or extra hand-warmers. If you are headed to the White Mountains, the trusted weather source is easy; the “Higher Summits Forecast” from the Mount Washington Observatory. These daily forecasts are issued each morning by 6AM, but only include the next 24-hour period, given the dynamic nature of weather in those parts. The National Weather Service also has some great forecasting information complete with tabular and graphical displays. The NWS Graphical Forecast includes great added info on wind speeds, wind gusts, and apparent temperatures (wind chill) in 3-hour chunks. Another great NWS resource is the forecast page keyed to a map. Simply click on where you would like the forecast for, fine-tune the map location as needed, and voila, a text forecast for the latitude/longitude is displayed. You can also get a similar forecast from this National Weather Service page; it’s programmed for Carrabassett Valley, but just type in the town, zip code or browse the map to get a forecast for where you are headed. So check these out before you go, but remember to always keep an eye to the sky while you are out there!