Weather prediction fun!

Hi all!

Thought I would try and start something fun!

I got a new camping book for Xmas (Oregon Camping: the Complete Guide to Tent and RV Camping), and I have just started reading bits and pieces. I got it manly for the campsite referrals and reviews, but I am finding some of the "camping" sections humorous, especially the 'Getting Revenge' (mainly getting back, in a fun way, at your camping companions for sending you on a snipe hunt, and other shenanigans!) and the weather prediction...mainly watching for storms that are a brewing. They not only give fun little tips as to what to watch for around you (those animals are like little weathermen!), but also remind us of the fun sayings (those rhymes that you grow up with and never forget). I thought I would share them and see what other have to contribute. Please add even more weather lore! Most of these are from the book, a couple were in the book that we use regularly.

Red sky at night, sailor's/shepard's delight.
Red sky in the morning, sailor's/shepard's warning.

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

Short notice, soon to pass.
Long notice, long it will last.

When the wind is from the east,
'Tis fit for neither man nor beast.

When the wind is from the south,
The rain is in it's mouth.

When the wind is from the west,
Then it is the very best.

When all the cows are pointed north,
Within a day the rains will come forth.
(My grandmother always told us, that when the cows were sitting or Laing, that rain was inevitable too)

Onion skins very thin, mild winter coming in.
Onion skins very tough, winter's going to be very rough.

When your boots make the squeaks of snow,
Then very cold temperatures will surely show.

If a goose flies high, fair weather ahead.
If a goose flies low, foul weather will come instead.

 

The other tips included in the book were:

- thick wooly coats on caterpillars mean big, early snow is coming (we also say the same thing about horses).

- chipmunks will run with their tails up before a rain (wonder if the same applies to squirrels?)

- bees stay near their hive before a rain storm (so do I!)

- when birds are perched on a large branch, near the truck of the tree, an intense but short rainstorm will arrive.

- on the coast, if groups of sea birds are flying a mile inland, look for major winds.

- if crickets are chirping very loudly during the evening, the next day will be clear and warm.

- if the smoke of the campfire at night rises in a thin spiral, good weather is assured for the next day.

- if the smoke of a campfire at night is sluggish, drifting and hovering, it will rain the next day.

- if there is a ring around the moon, count the number of stars inside the ring, and that is how many days until the next rain.

- if the moon is clear and bright, the next day will be good weather.

- high thin (cirrus) clouds indicate a change in weather.

- oval shaped lenticular clouds indicate high winds.

Your turn! What can you add?

 

Sarah!!!

You just solved a mystery for me. I have a Civil War diary and this darned soldier boy kept writing: "All is well and the goose hangs high." Now I know he was just saying the weather was fair.

That was driving me nuts!!!

And speaking of weather, for those of you who have not been to the Avenue of the Giants in Humbolt Redwood State Park, they have a stone at the visitor's center which they swear can accurately predict the weather. It's this big rock with a hole in the middle, hung by a rope through the hole and dangled from a make-shift, tree branch support. Next to the rock is a sign with a legend that goes something like this...

Weather Stone:
If this rock is wet, it's raining.
If this rock is dry, it's fair.
If this rock is swinging, it's windy.
If this rock is bouncing, there's an earth quake.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It does illicit plenty of groans from the tourist.....

But it's fun.

Sue and Jim