From Anima · Chapter 2, The Psychology of FearThe first sign was not the wind. It was the silence. The gulls had been riding the thermals above the mast in lazy, wheeling arcs. Then they were gone — not scattered, but gone, as if something vast had cleared them from the sky.
The barometer in its housing near the helm dropped so fast that Tom could watch the needle move, and thought the instrument had broken. It had not broken. It was reading the truth.
Reading the barometer
A single reading tells you little. What matters is the change: how far the glass has moved in the last three hours.
Tendency words as used in shipping forecasts for the change over three hours: steady, slowly, (plain), quickly, very rapidly. Dashed needle: three hours ago. Sea lore, not a forecast. Check official marine weather before sailing.
Holding course in weather
A falling glass is no reason to abandon ship. These measure the distance between price and danger, for one ship or for the whole sea.
These are instruments, not advice. Numbers chart a course; they do not sail it for you. All calculators give estimates for education only. Check important decisions with a qualified professional.