Friday, January 21, 2011

How About Some Weather Proverbs...?


I'm always interested in finding out just how accurate some of the old proverbs are in regards to the weather and to planting.

The Almanac is always a good source for this type of information, and I have just a taste of some of them for you to look over!

Ready for do-it-yourself weather predicting?

Long before meteorologists had sophisticated technology to help them predict the weather, people made forecasts based on their observations of the sky, animals, and nature.

Many of the traditional sayings they used, called proverbs, are accurate. Try out some old-fashioned forecasting—that still works today!

The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.

If you spot wispy, thin clouds up where jet airplanes fly, expect a spell of pleasant weather.

Keep an eye, however, on the smaller puff clouds (cumulus), especially if it's in the morning or early afternoon. If the rounded tops of these clouds, which have flat bases, grow higher than the one cloud's width, then there's a chance of a thunderstorm forming.

Clear Moon, frost soon.

When the night sky is clear, Earth's surface cools rapidly—there is no cloud cover to keep the heat in. If the night is clear enough to see the Moon and the temperature drops enough, frost will form. Expect a chilly morning!

When clouds appear like towers, the Earth is refreshed by frequent showers.

When you spy large, white clouds that look like cauliflower or castles in the sky, there is probably lots of dynamic weather going on inside. Innocent clouds look like billowy cotton, not towers. If the clouds start to swell and take on a gray tint, they're probably turn into thunderstorms. Watch out!

Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning.

A rainbow in the morning indicates that a shower is west of us and we will probably get it.

Ring around the moon? Rain real soon.

A ring around the moon usually indicates an advancing warm front, which means precipitation. Under those conditions, high, thin clouds get lower and thicker as they pass over the moon. Ice crystals are reflected by the moon's light, causing a halo to appear.

Rain foretold, long last. Short notice, soon will pass.

If you find yourself toting an umbrella around for days "just in case," rain will stick around for several hours when it finally comes. The gray overcast dominating the horizon means a large area is affected. Conversely, if you get caught in a surprise shower, it's likely to be short-lived.

Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.

A reddish sunset means that the air is dusty and dry. Since weather in North American latitudes usually moves from west to east, a red sky at sunset means dry weather—good for sailing—is moving east. Conversely, a reddish sunrise means that dry air from the west has already passed over us on their way easy, clearing the way for a storm to move in.

Observe the sky and see if these proverbs work for you!

12 comments:

Ben in Texas said...

I used a weather rock for years to predict the weather, if rock is hot, it's summer time, if it's wet, it's raining. IF it's white and cold.. Snow.
If it is one, Tornado!!!

JoJo said...

Good Day,
Thank you for the weather education class this morning, I may print this out and keep it in my motor home so I can know what kind of day I am going to have. They fun to read.









goo

HermitJim said...

Hey Ben...
A weather rock, huh? First time I've heard of them!

Might be a handy thing to have around!

Thanks, buddy, for coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
Always glad to be of service, sweetie!

I do hope you're staying warm enough! Don't want anything important to get frostbite!

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

I always heard that if there was a heavy dew in the morning that it would not rain before noon. The reason is that the dew point had been reached. The only chance of rain would be pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon and then rarely unless you live in Florida or East Texas (grin).

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
Not sure I ever heard that one! As you know, the weather can change so fast in Texas, it's hard to keep up with!

I do appreciate you coming by today, my friend!

Catman said...

Jim,

Believe it or not, pastured cows are indications of weather changes that are coming. If they are heading for available shelter (trees, etc.) expect the weather to turn bad.

HermitJim said...

Hey Catman...
I've heard that before, and actually saw it happen on my Uncle Bill's place when I was younger!

Guess some animals are smarter than many of us!

Thanks for coming over today, buddy!

Mechanic in Illinois said...

All I know is I'm tired of the snow. Plowed this morning, I was up at 3am. Its 10:30 am and the temp is -1. Someday I'll get smart and move south. Thanks for the great lesson.

HermitJim said...

Hey Mechanic...
That's cold enough for my feet to stay cold all the time! Think I'm better off here in the South!

Stay warm, my friend, and thanks for coming by today!

Marjie said...

i just observe my knees and elbows. Right knee hurts? Normal. Both knees? Rain in a couple of days. Add in one or both elbows? Don't leave without sturdy shoes and an umbrella or shovel, depending upon the season.

And, of course, if it's April, it's going to rain every day.

HermitJim said...

Hey Marjie...
I can certainly relate a little with that!

The old knees are a really good indication of rain to come for me!

Thanks for coming by today!

Momlady said...

Unfortunately one cannot count on red sun at night or red sun in the morning since there is so much pollution in the air.