In climbing, weather can be one of the most important factors, affecting enjoyment at best—and safety at worst. Monitor the weather for several days before your climb, or even better, get in the habit of familiarizing yourself with your favorite area’s weather patterns, checking forecasts and reports daily, so you’re constantly in tune with the conditions and trends.

The typical pattern that signifies a developing storm is from wispy cirrus clouds, to various forms of stratus clouds, then various types of cumulus clouds. The take away here is to look for cirrus clouds as a potential telltale sign of something else to follow.

For checking online weather resources within the United States, we recommend using www.weather.gov. This is set up by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and this website includes hourly weather graph, wind directions, and precipitation potential.

We hope you found this video helpful. Feel free to comment below with questions or thoughts!

Please remember, climbing is inherently dangerous. Climb at your own risk.