WEATHER LORE and PROVERBS

[chadtm80]

WEATHER LORE and PROVERBS

For centuries, shepherds and sailors - people whose lives and livelihoods depended on the weather - relied on lore to foretell tomorrow's weather. They showed a keen sense of observation and quickly connected changes in nature with rhythms or patterns of weather.

Farmers watched cloud movement and the sky colour to know when to sow and reap. Mariners noted wind shifts and watched wave motions for signs of change. Hunters studied the behaviour of insects and animals and, through repeated observation, learned to foretell the weather. They recalled what they saw in the form of short sayings, often embodied in rhyme for ease of memory. The beliefs of thousands of people were passed down from generation to generation, altered by the wisdom of the times. They became part of culture and education and came to the New World and to different climates with the waves of migration.

Many weather proverbs are nothing more than familiar rhymes, lighthearted ditties or imaginative contradictions. Some have survived the test of careful observation and scientific reasoning to become reliable guides to coming weather change. Only those sayings that prophesy daily change, usually pertaining to sky appearance, cloud movement or wind change, have any hope of success. Lore involving key dates or anniversaries or suggesting monthly or seasonal change can only be right by chance.

Old weather proverbs and saws have their inception in atmospheric conditions. Properly interpreted, these conditions give accurate information on what is likely to happen in the next few hours. For instance, a red sky means rain or dry weather according to the time of the day it occurs. The principle is based on certain optics and conditions of the atmosphere. Another example: smoke hovering near the surface of the ground indicates heavy moisture in the air. When it ascends straight up there is little likelihood of rain.

Among the more reliable weather proverbs are:

The moon and the weather may change together,
But a change of the moon, will not change the weather.

A ring around the sun or moon, means rain or snow coming soon.

When grass is dry at morning light
Look for rain before the night.

Dew on the grass, rain won't come to pass.

Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand,
It's never good weather while you're on the land.

When sea-gulls fly to land, a storm is at hand.

Rain before seven, fine before eleven.
Evening red and morning grey, two sure signs of one fine day.

The sudden storm lasts not three hours
The sharper the blast, the sooner 'tis past.

The higher the clouds the better the weather.

Cold is the night when the stars shine bright.

Sound travelling far and wide, a stormy day betide.

When the forest murmurs and the mountain roars,
Then close your windows and shut your doors.

When leaves show their undersides, be very sure that rain betides.

Chimney smoke descends, our nice weather ends.

When the night goes to bed with a fever, it will awake with a wet head.

When stars shine clear and bright,
We will have a very cold night.

When the ditch and pond offend the nose,
Then look out for rain and stormy blows.

Three days rain will empty any sky.

The farther the sight, the nearer the rain.

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

The sharper the blast, the sooner 'tis past.

If bees stay at home, rain will soon come,
If they flay away, fine will be the day.

The first and last frosts are the worst.

When clouds look like black smoke a wise man will put on his cloak.

A rainbow afternoon,
Good weather coming soon.

A rainbow in the morning, is the shepherd's warning
A rainbow at night is the shepherd's delight.

When the chairs squeak, it's of rain they speak.

Catchy drawer and sticky door,
Coming rain will pour and pour.

The winds of the daytime wrestle and fight,
Longer and stronger than those of the night.

Dust rising in dry weather is a sign of approaching change.

Sun sets Friday clear as bell,
Rain on Monday sure as hell.

No weather's ill if the wind be still.

The squeak of the snow will the temperature show.

When smoke hovers close to the ground, there will be a weather change.

When down the chimney falls the soot
Mud will soon be underfoot.

When the sun shines while raining,
it will rain the same time again tomorrow.

When the wind blows from the west, fish bite best.
When it blows from the east, fish bite least.

If salt is sticky,
And gains in weight;
It will rain
Before too late.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight;
Red sky in morning, sailor take warning.

When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The Earth's refreshed by frequent showers.

When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast.

The more cloud types present, the greater the chance of rain or snow.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Infallible signs of Rainy Weather, from the Observations of divers Animals!
If Ducks or Drakes their Wings do flutter high
Or tender Colts upon their Backs do lie,
If Sheep do bleat, or play, or skip about,
Or Swine hide Straw by bearing on their Snout,
If Oxen lick themselves against the Hair,
Or grazing Kine to feed apace appear,
If Cattle bellow, grazine from below,
Or if Dogs Entrails rumble to and fro,
If Doves or Pigeons in the Evening come
Later than usual to their Dove-House Home,
If Crows and Daws do oft themselves be-wet,
Or Ants and Pismires Home a-pace do get,
If in the dust Hens do their Pinions shake,
Or by their flocking a great Number make,
If Swallows fly upon the Water low,
Or Wood-Lice seem in Armies for to go,
If Flies or Gnats, or Fleas infest and bite,
Or sting more than they're wont by Day or Night,
If Toads hie Home, or Frogs do croak amain,
Or Peacocks cry
Soon after look for Rain!

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

Geese (and other migrating birds) fly higher in fair weather than in foul.

Because pressure lowers as you ascend, the higher you go, the less pressure you will find. Birds seek height in migration to make use of their ceiling (or altitude limit) is lifted in good-weather, high-pressure air, and lowered in low-pressure, stormy air.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

A similar saying which relates to dew rather than fog is...

“When the dew is on the grass,
Rain will never come to pass.
When grass is dry at morning light,
Look for rain before the night.”

Again, if there is no dew on the grass, it either means the sky is cloudy or the breeze is strong, both of which may mean rain.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“If a cat washes her face o’er her ear,
‘tis a sign the weather will be fine and clear.”

Cat fur can build up static electric charges when it gets very dry. During times of low humidity and fair weather, especially in the winter time when it is very dry, a cat may lick its fur. In order to moisten it. Moist fur will shed electric charge and prevent static discharges, which annoy the cat.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“If a circle forms ‘round the moon,
‘Twill rain soon.”

The circle that forms around the sun or moon is called a halo. Halos are formed by the light from the sun or moon refracting (bending) as they pass through the ice crystals that form high-level cirrus and cirrostratus clouds. These clouds do not produce rain or snow, but they often precede an advancing low pressure system which may bring bad weather.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“Trace in the sky the painter’s brush,
The winds around you soon will rush."

The “painter’s brush” are cirrus clouds. These are high-level ice clouds that often precede the approach of a storm system.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“Rainbow in the morning, Shepherds take warning.
Rainbow at night, Shepherd’s delight.”

A rainbow in the morning is formed when light from the rising sun in the east strikes and refracts through the water droplets in a rain cloud in the western sky. Rainbows always occur in the part of the sky opposite the sun. Since most storms (though not all) come out of the west, a rainbow in the western sky is a sign of rain. A rainbow in the eastern sky, as would occur in the evening, is a sign the rain has passed.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“When clouds look like black smoke,
A wise man will put on his cloak.”

Thick clouds laden with large droplets of water look darker than the fair-weather cumulus clouds

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“When leaves turn their back ‘tis a sign it’s going to rain.”

Some trees, such as oak and maple, have leaves that will curl when the humidity is very high and the wind is blowing strongly. Both these conditions indicate an approaching storm.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“Evening red and morning gray
Helps the traveler on his way.
Evening gray and morning red
Brings down rain upon his head.”

Weather systems usually move from west to east. A reddish evening sky can be caused by sunlight shining through dry dust particles in the western sky. This dry sky may move overhead by morning. If the morning is gray in the east, it means the clouds have already passed you.

Conversely, if the evening is gray, it means the clouds have not yet reached you. Rain may be on its way.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

There are many other similar sayings relating to sky color in the morning or evening Here are but a few:

“Evening red and morning gray,
Two sure signs of one fine day.”

“Evening red and weather fine.
Morning red, of rain’s a sign.”

“An evening gray and a morning red
Will send the shepherd wet to bed.”

The “evening red, morning gray” sayings are among the more widely-recognized of all weather lore.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.”

Clouds are formed by moisture that condenses out of rising air currents. The higher the air must rise before condensation begins, the drier it was to begin with.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The earth will be washed by frequent showers.”

Towering clouds, lofted high by strong updrafts, are cumulonimbus clouds. These are the thunderstorm clouds that produce heavy showers, wind, and lightning. They are not, however, associated with steady rain.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“I know ladies by the score
Whose hair foretells the storm;
Long before it begins to pour
Their curls take a drooping form.”

Human hair, especially blond hair, has a tendency expand in length as the humidity rises. This may cause naturally-curly hair to droop. Or it may cause straight hair to curl up a little. The higher the humidity, the more likely it is to rain.

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“When chairs squeak
It’s about rain they speak.”

Wooden chairs will absorb moisture from the air when the humidity rises. This causes them to squeak

[Rob-TheStormChaser]

“If salt is sticky and gains in weight,
It will rain before too late.”

Salt tends to draw moisture from the air. If the humidity is high, as it is during or preceding a rain, salt will soak up this atmospheric moisture and clog the saltshaker.

[Guest]

Love this topic. I have heard alot of these from oldtimers out in the country where I live.

[HeartofNC]

if it's wet out, it rained

[StormCrazyIowan]

LMAO Heart!!! That was pretty good, much better than what I would have come up with!