WEATHER

As diverse as the mountains themselves are the environments they produce. Mountains make weather: they create localized and stratified climates. Climate change due to altitude is an obvious factor, but the mountain landscape also creates endless variations in climate and weather conditions, known as microclimates. You can observe this variety when you move from a dry, sunny south-facing slope to a damp, shady, north-facing one, from a still, misty canyon to high windswept ridges, or from a steep, well-drained mountainside to a flat, flooded plain.

The Columbia Mountains are rain-catching mountains that produce lush forests, heavy winter snow, and hot, sunny summers. However, as in all mountain areas, the weather is highly changeable, and sunny days can turn to raging storms in seemingly instant moments. The mountain hiker is well advised to be prepared for inclement weather while exploring the WK. The weather in the Columbia Mountains, both good and bad, can last for many days, and sometimes weeks. Regardless of the forecast, always be prepared for heavy rain, strong winds, falling temperatures, sleet or hail. Carry rain gear – I always also carry an umbrella. If camping, have a waterproof tent with a waterproof fly, as well as a small sponge to dry the tent floor. June tends to be the wettest.

Also, please prepare for hot summer days. The West Kootenay lie in a temperate rainforest, but summers tend to be hot and dry. Fall can be an ideal time to hike as bugs are absent, and larch trees turn golden.

Wet Rock. All experienced mountaineers are familiar with problems of damp or loose rock, but little attention has been paid to the causes of the slipperiness of rock, save for the presence of an ice coating or snow. Lichen-covered stones can be almost as dangerous as ice-covered ones. Climbers should beware of slippery lichen (when wet, as with melting snow) on rocks. The black lichen on sandstone and quartzite is especially treacherous. Dipping beds of shale, slate, and siltstone can also be coated with this black lichen. Limestone is generally free of lichen but is often interbedded with shale and slate—the latter weathers to mud, which is also slippery.

Lightning
Making the Most of Weather Forecasts,
Sources of Weather Information,