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Weather
This
page has a collection of weather related proverbs, prognostications,
predictions and general nonsense. Forecasting
Red Sky at Night Sailor's Delight
Red Sky at Morning, Sailor Take Warning.
Mare's Tails and Mackerel Scales Make Tall Ships Take in Their Sails.
Clear Moon, Frost Soon.
A Year of Snow a Year of Plenty.
Halo Around the Sun or Moon, Rain or Snow Soon.
Rainbow in the Morning, Gives You Fair Warning.
When the Stars Begin to Puddle, the Earth Will Soon Become a Puddle.
Early Thunder, Early Spring.
After frost – warm, after snow – cold.
When high clouds and low clouds do not march together Prepare for a blow and a change in the weather.
When teeth and bones and bunions ache expect the clouds to fill the lake.
In like a lion, out like a lamb.
Rain long foretold, long last Short notice, soon past
Animal Predictions
A few more clues from nature:
Most animals are vulnerable to environmental changes that humans often can't detect. Swallows flying low indicate the air pressure is dropping. Falling pressure may affect the digestive system of cows, making them less willing to go to pasture, causing them to lie down. Static electricity may increase the grooming activities of cats. The calls of some birds, including crows and geese, become more frequent with falling pressure. Deer and elk react to wind and air pressure by coming down from mountains and seeking shelter. Some species from rabbits to rattlesnakes to certain kinds of fish feed more before a storm so they can seek shelter.
Some flowers close up as the humidity rises so rain doesn't wash away their pollen. The leaves of some trees curl just before a storm.
The higher the humidity, the better sound travels. Some English people gauged the chances of rain by the clarity with which they heard church bells sound.
A drop in barometric pressure often affects people with joint diseases, bad teeth, recently healed broken bones, or corns and bunions, bringing pain or pressure to those areas of the body.
Cicadas can't vibrate their wings when the humidity is very high, so may be silent when rain is approaching. Flying insects are more active when the air pressure drops and stay closer to the ground, so they seem to be swarming before a rain storm.
The chirping of a cricket has been shown to provide a close indication of air temperature. By counting the number of cricket chirps in a 14-second period and adding 40, the total will equal the air temperature to within one degree 75% of the time.
A final note:
Most of these natural forecasting methods are for the short range. Most long-range proverbs are suspect, including, yes, the legend of the ground hog.
Temperature
Cricket Chirps Predict Temperature. For fahrenheit, count the number of cricket chirps in a 14 second period and then add 40 to get the temperature. For example: Example: 30 chirps + 40 = 70° Fahrenheit.