We're settling into the rainy season here in the redwood forest and the change in weather is a welcome one.  I love the consistent sun in California, but the mountain rain and fog brings pears, chantrelles, and persimmons, the earthy smell of leaf mold, and something I'm a little more familiar with: a chill in the air.  The fire is roaring tonight.  No doubt I'm a lot closer to the seasons in this cabin and becuase of this I find myself reminiscing of weather phenomena back east. 

For all that I've gained in my mountain life, one thing I really miss is big, booming, dramatic thunderstorms.  A month ago I head about the tornado back in Brooklyn, and all I could think was how exciting it must have been to be there.  When I was in high school I lived in Michigan and I remember hiding in our basement when really bad storms rolled in.  There's no shortage of extremes on this coast, but quality thunderstorms are absent from our portfolio. 

Three or four months ago we were on a road trip up to the north coast town of Fort Bragg, when I stumbled into this wonderful old book, "Aviation Weather (1975)".  It was not a surprising thrift store find.  There are a lot of amatuer pilots in the west; distances are just so great that a little Cessna is actually a practical form of transportation.  I'm a sucker for good vintage infographics, and this book is a goldmine.  Aside from the genius cover, I'm reproducing  a series of four maps illustrating thunderstorms across our country by the season. As always, do what you will with the images and if you own the rights and if I'm somehow violating copyright by honoring and praising them here, please let me know.

Autumn

Winter

Spring

Summer