In our world of high-tech devices one of the best resources regarding weather patterns is still the pilots at your airport. Local pilots are deeply familiar with the region, and that is especially helpful if your airport doesn’t have weather reporting on the field, leaving you to fill in the gaps as you seek weather information from neighboring airports.

For example, conditions can vary greatly across a specific region and frequently follow predictable patterns. Knowing what is being reported and what is forecast will tell you part of the story, but local knowledge will help you to anticipate the details that can’t be forecast. This may be a “burble” on final approach as you fly over trees or when the sun is setting. Or, it could be the way the wind flows around mountainous terrain or the predictable pattern of winds with afternoon thunderstorms, followed by calm evenings.

Flying around mountainous terrain, especially at night, adds a level of risk that can be mitigated with information about how the terrain affects the weather near that terrain. There may be recurring turbulence, or mountain obscuration.

Another example is fog that forms in some regions but not others. A day that begins socked in may quickly improve to a beautiful, clear sky after the fog “burns off” as the air temperature climbs after sunrise. This phenomenon can occur in coastal areas as well as in valleys between mountains.

Every airport has at least one pilot that others look to for wisdom and advice. When I relocated to a new area and began flying from a new airport, one of the locals shared his weather insights. He said you could avoid turbulence by staying below 2,000 feet in the valley, if the winds are out of the east severe turbulence can be expected, and wind flowing from the west can lead to mountain obscuration on the west side of the valley. His knowledge of the local area was priceless. Find that person at your airport and learn from their local knowledge.