how would you interpret this mountain-forecast.com table?

[Chip Down]

I've never understood how to interpret temps on a mountain-forecast.com forecast.
In the table below, I see that today, Oct 26, at the top of Adams, I can expect 45mph wind and some clouds early in the day, but then wind will become relatively calm ( ) at just 30 mph, and sky will be clear. Ideal hiking weather ( ).
But I don't understand the temp. Normally we expect to see a H and a L for a particular day, but mountain-forecast.com has a different format. Are we to believe that tonight they're expecting a high of 37F and a low of 37F? That doesn't make sense. Yes, I know there are oddball nights where the temp is steady, but don't be distracted by that possibility. This site always has weird temp forecasts that don't make sense (not to mention it's absolutely inconceivable that the summit of Adams will be a balmy 37F tonight). Thoughts? I find it to be a useful site, so I've always gleaned what I can from it, and ignored what I don't understand.

[adamschneider]

I've seen equal highs and lows on that site too, and I agree that it probably doesn't match reality. (It's all automated, of course.)

I wonder if maybe it's trying to give the temperature forecast for what are normally the coolest and warmest times of day: dawn and mid-afternoon. It's plausible that THOSE two temperatures could be the same, if there's a cooling trend.

[texasbb]

I'd interpret it to mean exactly what it says. There are three columns: AM, PM, and night. In the AM and PM periods, the highs are higher than the lows, but the temperature is expected to be steady overnight. Looks like a slight warming trend in that example. 28 degrees early Monday morning, warming to as much as 32 by noon. Afternoon as low as 30, but warming to 34 or so. Nightfall brings warmer temperatures (37) that will persist till the next morning.

It is a little odd that the warming trend accompanies clearing skies, but that seems to be what it says.

[adamschneider]

Oops, I didn't notice that the three columns represented three parts of the same day; I was thinking they were three separate days. Ignore my previous comment.

I think texasbb has it right.

[texasbb]

I have no idea why they would plaster that U.S. map in the middle, across all three columns. If that weren't there, I think the columns would be more obvious.

[teachpdx]

The answer to interpreting it is pretty simple... don't.

I personally much prefer the clickable topo map on weather.gov. I ended up with many fewer clashes with the weather when I started referencing them exclusively. I mean, they are the folks that all of the other weather people reference, and their forecasts (unlike mountain-forecast.com, accuweather, wunderground, etc) are at least reviewed and modified by humans.

Not only does it give a specific forecast based on location and altitude, the narrative will say what's happening with the temperature (like if it's falling throughout the day instead of rising) and give the snow level and winds.

It's the next best thing to hiring a personal meteorologist.

[texasbb]

^This.

[retired jerry]

+2

Click on the chart ikon at lower left and you can see hour by hour temp, amount of rain ...

[Chip Down]

NOAA is my primary source, but I can't seem to get a forecast for Adams, other than Trout Lake. And the NOAA Trout Lake forecast is often wildly unbelievable.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[adamschneider]

NOAA is my primary source, but I can't seem to get a forecast for Adams, other than Trout Lake.

For what it's worth, here's the NWS pinpoint forecast for the northwest side of Adams: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.p ... =-121.5386 -- it's automated and interpolated, but it's better than Trout Lake.