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INSTANT WEATHER FORECASTING by Alan Watts (NOT the philosopher Alan Wilson Watts, by the way) is a handy and important quick reference guide that's simple to use. Simply match the sky you see with one of the photos in this book and you have a dead reckoning weather prediction for the next six to twelve hours. It may not be a weatherfax, but for those of us who sail and depend on our informed instincts INSTANT WEATHER FORECASTING can be a lifesaver---especially in having a sense for local conditions.
The weather wizards book discussed the progression of cloud formations and is a much better book for this purpose. This is a short, pamphlet book with 20-30 full page pictures of clouds, accompanied by technical information that would supposedly allow you to look at the sky and predict the weather. I don't think so. I found this book to be at one too technical and too simple. Had the author placed the photographs in the order one typically observes the change from high to low to high, or warm cold warm, and discussed what is happening within these systems and how the clouds reflect that, this could have been much better.
Find the photo and sky that most closely matches what you are seeing, factor in a couple of additional points, and your predictions for the next several hours, or a bit more than that, are likely to be as reliable as any other source you may have.This little book should be an essential resource at sea.Downside. This book rates 5 stars IF you use it for its intended pupose only.Very fast. No mounds of text to crawl through. More than half a day or so, and accuracy of your prediction will decrease. While this is always true in looking at weather forecasting tools, be certain to keep this in mind when using this very nice quick resource.Highly recommended.
great pocket guide to forecasting the weather in the near-term future. (ie, 2-4 hours in advance) this would be an excellent companion for any outdoor enthusiast.
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