Weather patterns for any climbing season are always a hot topic of conversation and one of the keys to a successful climb. Of course, there are many questions. Are extended outlooks/forecasts reliable? Which websites can I trust? Which forecast models are the best? How is climate change impacting weather patterns? Let me briefly go over
Read MoreThere has been an increase in cyclones and associated storms and heavy snow for Everest in May. There were two major cyclones in 2021 and one Super Cyclone in 2020. Is this a trend to we can expect for the future? In years past the strongest cyclones and associated storms, Tropical Cyclones in the Bay
Read MoreStorms-Deadly. Recent deadly tropical storms (cyclones) in the Bay of Bengal haven’t been bigger or fiercer but they have grown increasingly impact. A quick glance at the statistics, however, might mislead toward a much different conclusion. Before just a couple decades ago, multi-billion dollar damage estimates from storms in the Bay of Bengal weren’t a
Read MoreJet Stream. The subtropical jet stream, the Himalayan Plateau and Mt. Everest. The strongest large-scale wind system, the subtropical jet stream is the steadiest wind belt in the upper troposphere. The weather feature is only semi-permanent – big weather such as cyclones and fronts can temporarily displace it. When shifted, it often splits into several smaller
Read MoreGlaciers and retreating glaciers is an important issue for mountaineers especially for Mt. Everest and the rest of the Himalaya. Also important to areas north and west of here into the Karakoram where K2 is found. From the Sanksrit term “himalayah,” meaning “abode of snow,” the world’s most mountainous region houses 18,065 glaciers, leading to
Read MoreAsian Monsoon Summer 2017. The present near neutral but above average ENSO state may shift into a weak El Nino this summer or fall. What does that mean for central Asia? When it does arrive, the phenomenon instigates underlying effects on the weather that have an established, intermittent history of drying the monsoon and thus devastating
Read MoreWeather Trends Mt. Everest. Spring 2017’s weather trends near Nepal – Mt. Everest. After a slightly wetter than average 2016 in Nepal, La Niña is subsiding and El Niño appears to be returning. On many occasions, this reappearance has proven troubling. The characteristic change in sea surface temperatures leads to a weakened monsoon and, most
Read MoreThe deadliest mountains claim dozens of lives annually. In the US May-September in California and Washington are the most deadly times and places to climb, composing about 40% of the US’ mountaineering fatalities. Colorado sees nearly half of California’s accidents. Alaskan injuries are on the rise due to increasing tourism. Cause of Dealth There are
Read MoreSpring Trekking Weather, Nepal, April and May. Spring tends to be popular for trekkers through Nepal as it precedes the monsoon season which generally starts in June. We will briefly look at the weather patterns for Western Nepal where the treks begin for the Annapurna Circuit. Then, Central Nepal, in the vicinity of Kathmandu and
Read MoreMt Everest Weather- The world’s highest weather station, the South Col site is named after its location: the windswept, relatively snow-free pass between Mt. Everest and Lhotse, the Earth’s tallest and fourth tallest peaks. Sometimes erroneously called the Earth’s third pole, Mt. Everest hosts about a hundred climbs per year- a number that has been
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