The Rough Guide to weather [includes more than 200 climate charts ; plus explanations of weather phenomena and forecasts

Whether you’re an adventurer who enjoys wild weather, a traveller seeking climate details for Madagascar or Mumbai, or simply curious about those charts on the evening news, The Rough Guide to Weather is precisely what you need. From world climates and weather science to tips on how to read the sky and make sense of a forecast. Illustrated throughout with photographs and climate charts and useful links to hundreds of Internet resources for every continent, this guide is will help you stay a head of the storm. Contents ......Page 7 Introduction ......Page 11 1. The ingredients ......Page 21 What's weather anyway? ......Page 22 Welcome to our atmosphere ......Page 29 Layers of the atmosphere ......Page 33 The Sun and Earth ......Page 37 Where does the wind go? ......Page 43 Taking the weather's pulse ......Page 50 Sun, sky and colour: the optics of weather ......Page 57 Climate zones ......Page 63 2. The wild stuff ......Page 71 Rain ......Page 72 Snow ......Page 76 Freezing rain and sleet ......Page 81 Fog......Page 85 Thunderstorms ......Page 89 Hail ......Page 94 Tornadoes ......Page 99 Hurricanes and tropical cyclones ......Page 104 Coastal storms ......Page 112 Other windstorms ......Page 116 Heat waves and cold waves ......Page 122 Floods ......Page 126 Drought ......Page 130 El Niño and La Niña......Page 134 3. Forecasts and how to read them ......Page 139 Getting the word out ......Page 140 Computer models ......Page 148 Reading between the lines ......Page 156 Making your own forecast ......Page 164 4. A primer on climate change ......Page 169 The basics ......Page 170 The downs and ups of global warming ......Page 175 Wild cards ......Page 179 The hole in the ozone and what we're doing about it ......Page 183 5. Weather around the world ......Page 189 How to use the city climate charts ......Page 190 6. Weather on other planets ......Page 391 Inside the inner planets ......Page 392 Gas giants and icy moons ......Page 394 7. Resources ......Page 397 Books ......Page 398 Websites ......Page 405 Special interest Websites ......Page 409 Weather agencies around the world ......Page 411 Weather and health ......Page 416 Intensity scales ......Page 423 Glossary ......Page 428 Index ......Page 436 "From fog to freeze, from drought to flood, from the El Nino effect to the dangers of sun exposure, the weather affects everyone every day. The Rough Guide to Weather takes you past the hype of weather headlines and gives you the perspective you need to be weather-savvy. It allows you to read between the lines of a forecast, spot the signs of a developing storm, understand the science behind the atmosphere's beauty and the latest on global warming and the ozone layer. The guide gives you a quick take on conditions at more than 150 travel destinations worldwide and shows you where to learn more on the internet."--Publisher's description A guide to weather that includes information on everything from world climates and weather science to tips on how to read the sky and make sense of a forecast. It is illustrated throughout with photographs and climate charts and contains useful links to hundreds of Internet resources for various continents. Description based on print version record.