Meteorology and forecasting the weather on Dartmoor.Meteorology, or weather forecasting can be a bit hit and miss on Dartmoor, even with today's technology. It has greatly improved in recent years, especially since the Meteorology Office re-located just up the road in Exeter ! But, Dartmoor weather is still notoriously unpredictable, in any season. Find out how to predict fine or stormy-weather just by looking at the clouds ! I have started a walk under brilliant blue skies, wearing shorts and T-shirt - only to end it three or four hours later in an unexpected white-out snow storm and dressed in full winter gear ! My advice to anyone planning to walk on the moor is to always think like a boy scout - be prepared.
There are a number of reasons why we need accurate weather forecasts: * To protect life and property * Agriculture * Utility companies to estimate demand over coming days * To determine what to wear on a given day (but be ready for change when on the moor) Rainfall in southwest England arises mainly from Atlantic depressions in winter and from thunderstorms in summer, and tends to fall the most where air is forced to ascend hills. Coastal areas of Devon can have annual rainfall totals of 900-1000 mm, but up to double this amount falls on the uplands of Dartmoor. Compare this to the driest parts of eastern England, which receives just 500mm ! Meteorology is the use of modern science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. But man has probably attempted to predict the weather informally since the beginning of time, but formally only since the nineteenth century, when it was based mainly upon changes in barometric pressure, current weather conditions, and to be honest - just looking out of the window ! Modern weather forecasting however, is made by collecting data about the current state of the atmosphere and using science to project how the atmosphere will evolve.
But there are forecasters around who still rely on the old ways. Bill Tanton, from North Devon is an amateur forecaster who uses traditional methods to predict the weather for the coming season. Since 1968, he has become something of a legend in the world of amateur weather forecasting, and has regularly provided quarterly long-range forecasts that he claims have had an 80% success rate ! Dartmoor can be enjoyed in any weather, so long as you are expect anything - anytime. The Emergency Services have to deal with many call-outs every year to people lost and suffering from the cold and wet due to being under equipped. The famous Lakeland fellwalker, writer and artist Alfred Wainwright once wrote, "There's no such thing as bad weather - just inappropriate clothing!"
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