Weather Folklore
Signs from Plants and Animals
In every rural community, concern for the harvest and
dependency on weather resulted in a series of beliefs,
with varying degrees of accuracy, taken as prophesies of
later events. In any case, even though it is certain that
people as well as plants and animals react to the current
weather, there is nothing to indicate that this might reveal
anything about the weather in the future except to the
degree that an incipient change is related to the current
weather. For example, some signs accompany the increase in
humidity that occurs prior to the passage of a cold front.
64 METEOROLOGY
DRY SEAWEED
The lower the humidity, the
more probable it is that the
next day will be dry.WEATHER AND CLIMATE 65
Moon
Almanac Forecasts
In the 16th century, almanacs with weather forecasts were
sold throughout Europe. Each month of the year has its own
refrain, although this depends on the hemisphere a person lives in.
The monthly and annual calendars offered agricultural and medical
advice. From the most remote times, there was a general belief that
the Moon determined the behavior of the atmosphere and that
variations in the weather were caused by changes in the phase of
the Moon. Some examples of these popular sayings are: “Sweet
April showers do spring May flowers;” “After a dark winter's night,
the next day will be bright.”WIND
Wind from the east, rain like a beast.CLEAR SUNSET
Rainbow at sundown, good
weather at dawn.Clouds with a fringe or lining—
secure your sails well.
This relates to clouds that are carried
by winds at high altitudes; these clouds
are often a sign that a low-pressure
system, or cyclone, is approaching.Clouds
MORNING DEW
Dew and cool in May, bring wine
to the vine and hay to the cow.WEATHER PREDICTION
There are thousands of refrains that
refer to changes in weather
conditions. Here are some examples.When you see a black slug in
your way, rain is not far away.
Snails are usually hidden in the
garden. You see them only on
humid days, just prior to the rain.Snails
ASH
If the leaves of the ash fall
before those of the oak,
the summer will be wet.OAK
If the leaves of the
oak fall before those
of the ash, the
summer will be dry.When you see a toad walking, it
will be a wet spring.
When a toad is swimming in the
water, this means it will soon rain.
If it stays in the water without
moving, the rain will last
for some time.Toad
When swallows fly low, get
your rain gear in tow.
Swallows usually appear before
a heavy rain.Swallow
OPEN AND CLOSED
PINECONES
Open pinecones mean dry
weather; closed pinecones
mean humid weather.When the Moon has a halo,
tomorrow will have wet or bad weather.
Halos occur as a consequence of the
refraction of light by ice crystals in
cirrostratus clouds covering the Sun or Moon.
They portend a warm front, which will be
followed by rain.I hear donkeys braying; I am
sure it will rain today.
The animals react to the existing
weather. It is a sign associated
with the increased humidity
in the environment.
Donkey
B
efore the development of meteorology as we know it today,
people observed in nature signs that allowed them to
predict rains, floods, or strong winds. All this knowledge
has been transmitted over the centuries in the form of proverbsor rhymes. Most of these fragments of meteorological knowledge
lack a scientific foundation, but some of them reflect certain
principles. Plants and animals play a major role in these
observations.