Like Machka I spend a lot of time outdoors and can read the weather pretty well. Local knowledge helps. In the past my livelihood depended on being able to watch and call the weather, regardless of what the paid professionals had to say.

I do carry a small radio that has the NOAA stations on it, and I do listen to it, primarily for the trends. On my most recent short tours I have had a smart phone that will allow me to check local weather. In the past I have had pagers that would also set off warnings based on zip codes.

Aaron