Do you check the weather before you go hiking?

In my area, the possibility of severe weather has been predicted nearly every day for a month. Yet this is the time of year when a great many multi-night backpackers in Wyoming are active. Fact is that there are a lot of members in these forums that choose on a regular basis to "mess with mother nature when the weather is severe" by accepting the risk that goes with the territory and with the time of year. And it is very rare that anyone dies from that.

It is also probably true that the weather was possibly not as severe as claimed.  The wind gets faster, the rain rain gets fiercer, the lightning gets closer, the snow gets deeper, and the temperature gets hotter/colder in the retelling of the adventure.

Weather predictions are still not very accurate more than 48 hours out for many areas of the country. And specific conditions in specific locations is even less accurate. But having a heads up on a likely severe thunderstorm system, likely flooding, likely avalanche conditions, etc should make people avoid those situations.  Sometimes it is easy to avoid most of the possible risk, but other times it is not. 

Not that very long ago, one of our beloved forum members was killed in an unexpected severe weather situation. If he would have had a heads up on that, I am sure he would not have taken the risk leading young teens out there. It was a lucky circumstance that he was the only one of the group injured, it could easily have been much worse.

Rumi

I always check a day or so before, usually with either weather.com or wunderground. Not because I plan on cancelling (except for something like a tropical storm or major rainstorm if I'm beach camping, caving or canyoneering), but because I'll match layers and gear to the worst predicted + 1 more).

"Should"?

"Should" implies a value system — in this case your value system imposed upon other hikers. It's a Hike-Your-Own-Hike situation. If you look at maps of severe thunderstorm activity, the PNW, where you live, shows a very low incidence of severe thunderstorms. They are far more likely in Wyoming and even more likely east of here. I spent a full day this last week hiking when severe thunderstorms were "likely." In fact, it has been that way for a month or more in my area.

Just in Wyoming, literally thousands of other people were also out hiking during that time. Did any of us die because of it? People have been killed in ideal weather. But that is no reason we "should" avoid hiking during ideal weather.

It is extremely difficult to pick any summer week in Wyoming when a backpacker can be free from the likelihood of severe thunderstorm activity. The thousands of backpackers who flock to Wyoming to backpack the Wind River Range, Yellowstone and so on are voting with their feet against your value system.

"Messing with mother nature," as you call it, is what we do — all of us.

That's only part of the problem. Severe thunderstorms are not limited to the high elevations. Even if you follow that prescription, you will still be subject to the likelihood of a severe thunderstorm. You may reduce somewhat your risk of lightning, but that is only one element of a severe thunderstorm.

I grew up in Wyoming. Born and raised here. You're not telling me anything new.

This is correct, but severe thunderstorms are not the only weather hazard and the area I live has plenty of severe weather conditions which pose danger to hikers; wind, rain, and avalanche being the primary three. Maybe where you live in Wyoming wind is not a great danger because there are few trees to be blown over on a hiker. But here and many other areas in which I have lived and visited, that is a danger. Most logging operations here in Washington suspend work in the forest when the wind reaches 25mph. They do it for safety reasons because branches fall and whole trees tumble over. If even a relatively small branch fell on a person it is likely to severely injure them or cause death. When systems of rain come through, they can cause flooding which is also dangerous to hikers. Maybe you don't get that kind of rain in Wyoming. And it's not just rivers and streams flooding but soil saturation causing washouts of hillsides, trees falling, etc. Avalanches can be caused buy both severe weather or just plain ole nice weather. Maybe avalanches are not an issue where you live in Wyoming so you aren't aware, but many times it is so dangerous it is foolish to travel anywhere in the mountains because of avy danger. These are not the only weather dangers people need to be aware of.


I think most of us here have seen if not experienced that stormy mood of yours. I hope you find whatever you need to sooth your stormy mood.

Rumi

This thread needs a soundtrack ...