The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop Spiral-Bound | May 25, 2021
Tristan Gooley
★★★☆☆+ from 101 to 500 ratings
The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop
From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs (210,000 copies in print), a new way of understanding and predicting the weather by reconnecting with forgotten skills of close observation, deciphering how weather works not by the forecast but through interpreting the action of wind, cloud, fog, temperature, rain, and many other phenomena
Learn to “see” the forecast in the hidden weather signs all around you—from the New York Times–bestselling author of How to Read a Tree and The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
In The Secret World of Weather, bestselling author Tristan Gooley turns his gaze up to the sky, bringing his signature brand of close observation and eye-opening deduction to the fascinating world of weather. Every cloud, every change in temperature, every raindrop, every sunbeam, every breeze reveals something about our weather—if you know what to look for. Before you know it, you’ll be able to forecast impending storms, sunny days, and everything in between, all without needing to consult your smartphone.
But The Secret World of Weather goes far beyond mere weather prediction, changing the very way we think about weather itself. Weather is not something that blankets an area; rather, it changes constantly as you walk through woods or turn down a street. The weather is never identical on two sides of a tree—or even beneath it. Take, for example, Gooley’s remarkable discovery that breezes accelerate beneath a tree. To Gooley, this is “weather,” a tiny microclimate that explains why people sit beneath a tree to cool down—not only for the shade but, subconsciously, for cooler breeze. And so Gooley shows us not only what the weather will be like five days from now, but also what to expect about the weather around every corner.
By carefully observing the subtle interplay of wind, cloud, fog, temperature, rain and many other phenomena, we not only form a deeper understanding of weather patterns, but also unlock secrets about our environment. Weather forms our landscape, and landscape forms our weather. Everything we see in the sky reflects where we are. When we learn to read weather’s signs, Gooley shows us, the weather becomes our map, revealing to us how it has made our towns, cities, woods, and hills what they are. You’ll never see your surroundings the same way again.
An Indie Next Pick
Telegraph Best Books of 2021
“Gooley marshals a riveting compendium of weather-reading skills. . . . He has plenty of facts at his fingertips with which to excite.”—The Times
“[An] ingenious collection of tips and tricks for analyzing and anticipating weather phenomena. . . . The wealth of wisdom on offer is impressive. Adventurers in the making will find this worth returning to.”—Publishers Weekly
“This is one of those books that makes you look at your environment in a different, more poetic way.”—Guardian
“In sharing a lifetime’s worth of exploration and insight, [Gooley] awakens readers to the wonders of the weather and our respective microclimates.”—Kirkus Reviews
“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, adventurer, motivational speaker, and author of Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes
“A timely book to help us as we get back into the outdoors. 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
“Gooley’s skill is to piece it all together, make it interesting—and go deeper.”—Cross Country
“This breezy new book reveals how to read nature’s very own weather forecast. . . . Full of fascinating trivia.”—Daily Mail
“A book that chimes strongly for all sailors.”—Sailing Today
“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
“The Secret World of Weather frames itself early on as an aid to forecasting. . . . But it’s really much more than that. It’s about the ecology of weather, how the movement of 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.”—The Telegraph
TRISTAN GOOLEY is the New York Times–bestselling author of How to Read a Tree, How to Read Water, How to Read Nature, The Natural Navigator, The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, and The Nature Instinct. He has led expeditions on five continents, climbed mountains in three, and is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. His more than two decades of pioneering outdoor experience include research among tribal peoples in some of the remotest regions on Earth.