Weather Planning
Edit on GitHubReading a mountain forecast, recognizing the weather decision points, and how weather changes the beacon plan.
Weather Planning
Mountain weather is the variable that turns a routine trip into an incident. This page is the checklist: forecast reading, decision points, and what weather does to the beacon.
Reading the forecast
- Check the forecast for the altitude of your route, not the valley town.
- Look at wind, temperature, precipitation, and cloud base separately; the “sunny” headline hides all of them.
- Mountain forecasts change faster than valley ones; recheck the morning of the trip.
The decision points
| Sign | Decision |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon | Start earlier, or go another day |
| Wind above 50 km/h on the ridge | Reconsider the ridge crossing |
| Rain at the summit altitude | Plan for hypothermia risk (see Hypothermia Recognition) |
| Snow level dropping toward your route | Turn around before it reaches you |
What weather does to the beacon
| Weather | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rain and wet snow | Antenna and connector losses rise; water in connectors |
| Cold | Battery capacity drops (see Cold Weather Batteries) |
| Storm | Noise on the band, but the beacon still transmits |
| Dense fog | No RF effect, but search aircraft cannot see you |
The beacon-specific preparation
- Wet weather: check the case seals and the antenna mount before the trip (see Waterproofing).
- Cold: keep the spare cell inside your jacket (see Cold Weather Batteries).
- Storm: the beacon keeps working; it is the flying rescue that waits.
Related pages
- Hiking Safety for the general practice
- Winter Operations for the cold season
- Pre Trip Checklist for the routine