INSTANT WEATHER FORECASTING
Alan Watts
£7.99; 978-0-71368-273-1
Having already written books which combined his twin interests of meteorology and dinghy sailing, nearly forty years ago, Alan Watts was putting together a textbook on Physics when he was asked by Adlard Coles to come up with a generic book on the weather. Such was the publisher’s confidence in the subject matter that the initial print-run was 75,000 - and copies sold now exceed ten times that figure.
The concept is winningly simple: 24 colour photographs of cloud formations and their accompanying explanatory text enable the reader to read the sky, pick up the clues, and predict what the weather will do – and the British are renowned for their preoccupation with the subject.
Whilst 64 pages are not going to confirm your position as the next BBC weather forecaster, the clear explanations of terms used, together with the various elements which give trends, changes and risks, will give you a clearer idea of what to look for - and then what to expect - making it invaluable to anyone participating in outdoor activities, from sailing, riding, golfing, flying and fishing to farming, gardening and walking.
In short, almost as vital (at least for the British climate) to take with you everywhere as an umbrella.