The weather changes as we walk around a tree or turn down a street. There is a secret world of weather – one that we all live in, but very few see.
Each day we pass dozens of small weather signs that reveal what the weather is doing all around us – and what is about to happen. The clues are easy to spot when you know how, but remain invisible to most people.
In The Secret World of Weather you'll discover the simple rules that explain the weather signs. And you'll learn rare skills that enhance every minute you spend outdoors, whether you are in a town, on a beach or in a wilder spot.
As the author of the international bestsellers The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues & Signs and How To Read Water, Tristan Gooley knows how to de-code the phenomena and signs to look for. As he says, 'I want you to get to know these signs as I have, as characters. By studying their habits and behaviours, the signs come to life and the meaning reveals itself. From this flows an ability to read what is happening and what is about to happen'.
This is the ultimate guide to exploring an undiscovered world, one that hides in front of our eyes.
Tristan Gooley is a writer, navigator and explorer. Through his journeys, teaching and writing, he has pioneered a renaissance in the rare art of natural navigation. Tristan has led expeditions in five continents and is the only living person to have both flown solo and sailed singlehanded across the Atlantic. He has explored close to home and walked with and studied the methods of tribal peoples in some of the remotest regions on Earth.
"The Secret World of Weather frames itself early on as an aid to forecasting, by decoding signs in mackerel skies and dust devils. But it's really much more than that. It's about the ecology of weather, how the movement of the air and the heat of the sun negotiate with the forms of hill and tree and building to generate the most wondrous variety of phenomena. Metereodi-versity, you might call it [...] Gooley is the best kind of teacher: gentle, patient, nudging."
– Richard Mabey, Daily Telegraph
"Gooley marshals a riveting compendium of weather-reading skills [...] he has plenty of facts at his fingertips with which to excite."
– The Times
"This breezy new book reveals how to read nature's very own weather forecast [...] full of fascinating trivia."
– Daily Mail
"I would recommend this book to all who seek explanations of the incredible variety of natural sights and sounds detectable in the open air."
– Weather (Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society)
"After 40 years as a professional meteorologist, I've looked at the weather through Tristan Gooley's fresh eyes and seen new things."
– Peter Gibbs, weatherman and BBC presenter
"The trouble with reading Tristan's new book is that he makes me feel like I've been walking around with my eyes closed [...] His books are so packed with interesting facts."
– Al Humphreys
"Gooley's skill is to piece it all together, make it interesting – and go deeper."
– Cross Country
"Tristan has established himself as Britain's pre-eminent professor of practical geography. His books and fieldcraft schools are dedicated to passing on his love of knowledge and his desire to make us smarter walkers [...] The Secret World of Weather is a thrill-ride through the signs and secrets of clouds, winds, dewdrops and sunlight. A fascinating read in itself, it's also as practical as ever."
– Country Walking
"This expert guide helps you become your own forecaster."
– The Express
"Essential reading for outdoor swimmers"
– Outdoor Swimmer