# Weather Lore



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Now back in the day, before the weather channel or the nightly news  folks had to work the weather by signs ...

You know ... red sky at night...  Bad winter was coming by the amount of fat a critter had. If a circle forms ‘round the moon,‘Twill rain soon.”(which is true more times than not) When leaves turn their back ‘tis a sign it’s going to rain. (I use this one all the time )

We have a number of tried and true "lore" and then we have "just lore" 

How well do you do on the weather indicator? 

(By the way ~ I love weather lore ... lol)


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Well I cheat a little bit. I have a barometer hanging on the back porch.  And I understand how to interpret it's movements.


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

Count the number of fogs in August, that's how many snows there will be during the winter....I guess some of us have a really foggy August!


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

Dixie said:


> Count the number of fogs in August, that's how many snows there will be during the winter....I guess some of us have a really foggy August!


Woo Hoo for us!!!! I'm from KS and I do miss the snow! We're in FL now, and I KNOW IT "FOGGED" IN AUGUST! I'm soo excited!  
Thanks, Dixie - you made my day! :kiss:


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

We didn't get any fog in August but I know for sure we'll get snow this winter! In November and December we generally have flurries nearly every day, in between the real storms!

Weather lore... neat subject. It would be good to be more in tune with the "Nature" aspects of predicting the weather so we can get a bit of a heads-up after the SHTF and we don't have the Weather Channel any more! (Only online for us, since we don't get TV). 

About the best predictor for us, tucked back in the mountains where we are, is that when we get a windy day (somewhat rare for us) and the wind shifts directions repeatedly while it blows, the weather is about to change to either cooler or wet.

Oh, here's one that is usually true! When you see those parallel rows of long, skinny clouds that look like the rib bones of a whale (we call them "Whalebone clouds") it'll rain within 24 hours.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

The only real weather lore I know is what you've already mentioned. My mom was always one to say the 'red skies at night' rhyme. And she always attributed the flipped leaves as a sign of coming rain as something her mother taught her.

I get headaches that are a strong prediction of precipitation. Without fail - can predict oncoming precipitation 12-24 hours out, depending on how fast the front is moving. We can set our rainbarrels (and getting my youngest's bike under cover) by my headaches.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

UncleJoe said:


> Well I cheat a little bit. I have a barometer hanging on the back porch.  And I understand how to interpret it's movements.


Shoot I got a Weather Rock. It works everytime...

Jimmy


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Jimmy24 said:


> Shoot I got a Weather Rock. It works everytime...
> 
> Jimmy


Yep. They are the best.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

One I have heard is the date that you get your first snow is the number of snow falls you will have for the season. Hope that one is wrong since our first snow was on the 29th!!!!


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

mdprepper said:


> One I have heard is the date that you get your first snow is the number of snow falls you will have for the season. Hope that one is wrong since our first snow was on the 29th!!!!


Hope you have a good snow shovel, md!  It would be interesting if you grabbed a piece of paper and made hash marks every time it snows this winter and let us know how it scores! Or just make a quick "X" on the calendar on the days it snows!

:lolsmash: on the weather rock! Haven't heard mention of that in a while!

In case anyone doesn't know the "Red at night" thing, the variation I heard around where I grew up goes: "Red at night, sailor's delight; Red in the morning, sailor take warning".

When we lived in Kentucky they had all kinds of sayings and lore for just about everything. I wish I remembered more. Most of what I remember pertains to gardening.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> Hope you have a good snow shovel, md!  It would be interesting if you grabbed a piece of paper and made hash marks every time it snows this winter and let us know how it scores! Or just make a quick "X" on the calendar on the days it snows!
> 
> :lolsmash: on the weather rock! Haven't heard mention of that in a while!
> 
> ...


"Rain before 7, quit before 11" is one my grandpaw said for years...around here it usually works out that way...Squirrels packing away earlier than normal, early or hard winter. Down here until the Robins leave, winter ain't over. Pecan trees bloom when winter is over. When Azelias are blooming the Shellcrackers (also known as Redear Bream) are biting. Heavy mast crop (acorns/hickory nuts) means bad winter.

Planting root crops on a waning moon, most other crops on a rising moon. Plant on Good Friday.

That's some I could remember right off.

Jimmy


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

*Andi said:


> Now back in the day, before the weather channel or the nightly news  folks had to work the weather by signs ...
> 
> You know ... red sky at night...


The red sky verse is from the Bible, Matthew 16: 1,2.

There used to be a lady in East Tennessee who predicted the winter from the color and plumpness of wolly worms. She was most always right. When I was commuting to work, I noticed that the fogs in August early in the morning would have to be over a long stretch before the snow prediction worked. If the fog was just at my house, but did not extend 10 or 15 miles, it didn't seem to work. I marked the fogs and snows down on a calendar for a couple of winters just to see. I didn't do it this year, the Rooster was too sick.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

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

Thanks Sue ... I should have posted the whole lore. 

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

Chairs talk !!!


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

gypsysue said:


> Hope you have a good snow shovel, md!  It would be interesting if you grabbed a piece of paper and made hash marks every time it snows this winter and let us know how it scores! Or just make a quick "X" on the calendar on the days it snows!


Dusting of snow last night. That makes 7 snow events so far. Mind you none of them have amounted to anything, but I am still keeping track.


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## twinfly (Sep 13, 2011)

Funny, I just noticed red skies this morning and made a comment to several people I work with about that saying. Told them it was going to storm today. It's usually worked in the past. We'll see about today. Still waiting on snow in my area.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I think somebody mentioned a Weather Rock...


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Some more on weather lore ...

When leaves show their undersides, be very sure that rain betides. It is true that before it rain, some leaves, such as those of the poplar/maple tree the leaf will show you their back ... 

No ... I don't need much of a push to open an old weather lore thread!


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## torqx (Mar 30, 2012)

We were all ways told as kids to look at how high the bees nests were in trees that would indicate the amount of snow fall. Low nests meant light winter high nest meant to buy extra shovels for the kids


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

*Andi said:


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


My grandma didn't have the rhyme, but she always said that about the leaves. Makes me think of her every time I see the leaves showing their undersides. 

And we do see it around here. Maybe it's because we have so many maples in our area? (I didn't know it was just some tree varieties, but that makes sense.)


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

*Andi said:


> Some more on weather lore ...
> 
> When leaves show their undersides, be very sure that rain betides. It is true that before it rain, some leaves, such as those of the poplar/maple tree the leaf will show you their back ...
> 
> No ... I don't need much of a push to open an old weather lore thread!


I never knew there was a rhyme for the leaves. I knew about the leaves turning over but did not consider it lore. I always accepted it as a science fact since it seems to hold true here.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

*Andi said:


> Some more on weather lore ...
> 
> No ... I don't need much of a push to open an old weather lore thread!


Thanks, Andi!

....I'm still hoping for a foggy August (previous post), cuz we didn't get snow here in FL this past winter.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

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

I have heard both circle and halo...


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## Ncognito (Oct 27, 2011)

"If there is thunder in Winter, it will snow 7 days later."

I 've maked the calender and counted the days before and it does work. Some of the time.


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## cabinetman (Apr 14, 2012)

Very high cirrus clouds are made up of ice crystals. They reside way way up clearly above lower clouds. If they are white and not moving much the weather coming will be fair. If, however, they are a bit more 'dirty' and are moving quickly then you can just about guarantee that there is weather coming in and from the direction the cirrus clouds are moving from, usually well within 24 hours. That's when you'll see the leaves turning over and showing their 'white' bottoms. That's a good immediate indicator of imminent weather.

In the fall, if the acorn crop from the Oaks is really heavy, the winter will be long and hard, too. In 2010, the acorn crop at my mother in law's home was remarkable. You could hardly walk in the yard. That winter was one of the worst we'd had for decades. Last fall, 2011, the crop is meager and lo and behold we had little snow.

Rome


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

goshengirl said:


> I get headaches that are a strong prediction of precipitation. Without fail - can predict oncoming precipitation 12-24 hours out, depending on how fast the front is moving. We can set our rainbarrels (and getting my youngest's bike under cover) by my headaches.


I'm right there with you, but for me the headaches are directly linked to barometric pressure. When it changes, I get a headache. That means every front that changes the pressure causes a headache, whether it rains or not.

At least, if it's a warm day and I get a "pressure" headache, then I know to bring a sweater.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

That would be tough with the headaches and changing weather.  My knees would pain me when the rain was coming in but that stopped after I started taking fish oil. 

“Onion skins very thin
Mild winter coming in;
Onion skins thick and tough
Coming winter cold and rough."


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## lhalfcent (Mar 11, 2010)

Jimmy24 said:


> Shoot I got a Weather Rock. It works everytime...
> 
> Jimmy


well i got me joints that go all achy breaky when weather is about to happen... my family calls me a walking barometer. :dunno:


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## JackDanielGarrett (Sep 27, 2010)

*Andi~Does the fish oil really work? My ol knees are screaming (rain or not)...

Not weather lore but a way of telling wind speed is the Beaufort scale. Light house operators used it to see if the winds were hurricane speed. Neat little chart...Jack


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

It is not an over the night cure but yes ... they work for me. I could tell a difference in the first six weeks.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Grandpa always taught me to look for dew in the morning if there is no dew expect rain that day it is pretty accurate. Mostly now I know weather changes are coming when my pain meds won't moderate my pain. It does change with barometric pressures I bought a watch that shows the baromatric presures just to see if there is a correletions. Is part of the reason I kinda think moving to a more arid state at a higher elevation might actually kinda help me with my pain isues.


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## cm4ever (Oct 26, 2012)

I broke my leg by the ankle in High School and tore a few ligaments. Ever since then, I can tell when the weather is changing. My ankle swells and hurts. LOL

Other than that, I have to use the rock method too.

CM4ever

On a side note..if you live where the remnants of Hurricanes pass through, check out the clouds, the layers are beautiful.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

If all the cows are lying down, it will rain in a few hours.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

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


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

High level rooster tail clouds (changing clouds) mean rain is on the way in 24 hrs.

I was also told when flys keep trying to get in your house rain is on the way.

When cows bunch up they are getting ready for a storm.


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