My Grandpa always knew when the last snow would fall. He threw leaf lettuce seeds on the snow and as it melted the seeds would plant themselves. Does anyone have weather lore to share?

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 04, 2000

Answers

My Mom always said that the sky would clear and it would stop raining if we could see "enough blue to mend a Dutchmans' pants". My husband says of the same phenomenon, that those clearing spots are just "sucker holes", meaning you will be suckered into thinking it will clear! Seems like we have the proverbial optimist and pessimist positions, wouldn't you say?

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 04, 2000.

My grandfather pointed out some comma shaped clouds, very wispy ones, one day when I was younger, and told me that those were Mare's Tails, and indicated a storm was going to arrive within 24 hours. I am never sure as an adult whether I am looking at the same type of clouds or not, sometimes it seems to work, sometimes not!

-- Jan Bullock (Janice12@aol.com), March 04, 2000.

Don't no much about weather lore, but with La Nina. In Ca. we are running about 2 weeks ahead of normal! Farmers are starting there crops 2 weeks early.

-- Linda Hess (hesscat@cot.net), March 04, 2000.

My Papa used to say it was okay to plant corn when oak leaves were the size of a squirrel's ear. I guess if you don't have oaks or squirrels handy, you're up the creek. He also said, red sky at night, sailor's delight,red sky at morning, sailor take warning. It had to do with refraction of light through moisture in the distance.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), March 04, 2000.

I don't know anything about the weather anymore. We should be in deep winter but it's more like late April. No snow except a little in the woods. It's unbelievable! We had a neighbor lady who always "planted" her onion seeds in the snow and had beautiful, big onions. Tomorrow I'm going to throw out some onions seeds and some lettuce for good measure. Thanks for reminding me, Cindy.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), March 04, 2000.

I live in NE Texas. My grandma always said that a bank of clouds in the west at sundown means rain before daylight. That generally holds true. As to the corn, the saying about the oak leaves is used here, but a more reliable method is to wait until you hear the mourning doves call. When they call, they are nesting, and freezing weather is past. There is also the saying that if snow stays on the ground three days, it will snow again. That used to pretty well be true also, but the last ten years, it hasn't worked that way. I believe we are in the middle of a large scale climate change. I'm not sure any of the old weather lore will prove true much longer.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), March 05, 2000.

Here is a dozen of weather maxins. Folklore-yet amazingly accurate.

Wind

When the wind is in the South The rain isin the mouth.

When the wind is in the North, The skillful fisher goes not forth;

When the wind is in the East, 'Tis good for neither man nor beast;

When the wind is in the South, It blows the bait in the fish's mouth;

When the wind is in the west, There it is the very best.

Clouds

Mackel scales and mare's tails Make tall ships carry low sails.

Short notice, soon to pass; Long notice, long 'twill last.

Color

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

Evening gray and morning red, 'Twill pour down on traveler's head; But evening read and morning gray, Will set a traveler on his way.

Rainbow in the morning, shepherds taking warning; Rainbow at night, shepherd's delight.

Rainbow to winward, foul fall the day; Rainbow to leeward, damp runs away.

Fog

Evening fog will not burn soon; Morning fog will burn 'fore noon.

When the mist is in the hills, Let hosses be still; When the mist is in the holler, Put the hosses in the collar.

Fog that starts before the night, Will last beyond the morning light.

When the fog goes up, the rain is o'er; When the fog comes down, 'twill rain some more.

A summer fog for fair' A winter fog for rain; A fact most everywhere, In valley and on plain.

Dew

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

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

When the dew is on the grass, Rains will never come to pass.

Smoke

When the smoke goes West, gude weather is past; When the smoke goes East, gude weather is neist.

Sound

A sormy day will betide, Sound traveling far and wide.

Rain

Rain before seven, Stop before eleven.

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 06, 2000.

Here is a couple of things that I have noticed with wildlife:

Deer, normally evening and morning feeders, browse voraciously during day if bad weather is on the way.

Coyotes and dogs howling at midmorning, a storming is approaching.

Ducks and geese fly high during good weather and skim the tree tops in bad.

Small birds eating voraciously, where you normally don't see them, bad weather before the end of the day.

Turkeys insanely cackling, during the summer, are answering thunder way in the distance, watch out for a strong blow.

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wireefire.com), March 06, 2000.

The Weather Rock a dry rock means it fair weather a wet rock means it's raining a dusty rock means it's a dust storm a swaying rock means it's windy a shadow under the rock means it's sunny a white rock means it's snowing a jumping rock means it's earthquaking if the rock is under water it's flooding a missing rock tornado

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 06, 2000.

Rich, how accurate do you think that rock is? Cindy

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 06, 2000.

My Grandpa told me to watch the popular trees, and other large leaf trees in the summer. If the leaves turn upside down, showing their whiter side, (not because of wind) It is going to rain.

I have seen this happen over and over again. Watch for it!

Beth (NC)

-- Beth (NC) (Craig@icu2.net), March 06, 2000.

Cindy,

I alway set up a tripod with a rock hanging from it when I go camping with the scouts. My scouts look at the rock and give a weather report during rollcall. It can be quite a hoot. Some of the scouts decide that they need weather reports from remote locations so they build one at the far end of camp.

Rich

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 06, 2000.

Rich, what are the specs for those rocks- light or dark, large or small, country or city etc.?

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 07, 2000.

Rich, what are the specs for those weather rocks- light or dark, large or small, country or city etc.?

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 07, 2000.

Cindy

Well you asked:

Hardness-harder than your fingernails

Color-under a new moon the rock has to be dark.

Pattern of surface color-the more the better

Specific Gravity->1, i.e. must not float on water.

Texture-smooth and rough

Size-depend on your mental state.

I however have found that the uglier the better, scouts working on the geology merit badge will over look. but the best one are the ones that you trip over.

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 07, 2000.

LEECH BAROMETER

Put a couple of LEECHES into a jar of water and watch their behaviour. If they lie quietly on the bottom, you can count on good weather. If they dash back and forth, the pressure is dropping and you may have rain.

Just more obscure information, I guess this is what happens when you read anything and everything. Supposedly, George Washington had a Leech Barometer.

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 07, 2000.

Wonder if those were real leeches, or he just had some guy who hung around with him because he was well-to-do, telling him the weather forecast?

We're on the Atlantic coast, so most of our big weather comes from the ocean, one way or another...

Fishing is best, when the wind's in the West.

Forget fishing when all the cows are laying down all day.

If the woods get, and stay, quiet, batten down the hatches cause it's gonna blow!

If the seagulls start to fly inland as hard as they can go (but not just to a landfill...), batten down etc., etc.

Quilted sky means snow. (Rare here in SE NC, usually )

I have a weather bird feeder. It's a cedar log 5.1247 feet tall, buried 1' deep, with a rectangular piece of indoor grade plywood nailed precisely in the center to the top of said cedar log.

If the weather is going to be crapp..., er, bad, the plywood droops down on the ends- fair weather, it straightens back up to near level.

During our recent string of hurricanes, floods, etc., that piece of wood looked like it was draped over the cedar post...

If you see seagulls flying inland as hard as they can go (and NOT just headed for the landfill...), batten down the, etc., etc.

-- Sylvia (slydy@intrstar.net), March 07, 2000.

Hey Rich, I tilled one of those up today. It was ugly and looked just like a rock. It's Spring here (at least temporarily) I got to plant lettuce and onions and other nice stuff.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony@yahoo.com), March 07, 2000.

Cindy

You destroyed a high precision delicate weather instrument. Glad to hear that you are planting. I have the apple tree pruned and am butching the Hogs. I be tilling thing up Saturday, I hope to have spinach and potatoes in next week. Well...that all depends on what my weather rock tells me.

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 07, 2000.

Nature's own thermometers

Crickets

Count the number of chirps that a cricket makes in 14 seconds, then add 40 this is the approximate temperature in Fahrenheit.

Other insects

32F --> All insects are dormant 40F --> All insects are mute 46F --> Grasshoppers can't fly 58F --> Katydids make a sound like KATE 66F --> Katydids make a sound like KAY-TEE 72F --> Katydids make a sound like KATY-DID 78F --> Katydids make a sound like KATY-DID-IT 83F --> Cicadas sign 102F -> Bees are idle 105F -> All insects are quiet

-- Rich (pntbeldyk@wirefire.com), March 08, 2000.