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PRINTWatching Nature to Predict the Weather
Long before the creation of 24/7 weather channels, people observed nature and prepared for whatever weather came their way.
You know it is going to rain when…
• Bees stay close to their hives,
• Large halo around a moon
• Sound travels far and wide
• Leaves show their backs
• Sheep huddle together
• Your corns or broken bones “talk to you”
• Birds stay on telephone wires
• Ants build walls around their nests
• Swallows fly close to the ground
Sure sign of a bad winter if…
• Spiders spin larger than usual webs and enter your home in numbers
• Unusual abundance of acorns
• Hornets nest is high off the ground
• Early seclusion of bees in a hive
• Squirrels gather nuts early to fortify against a long winter
• Narrow orange band in the middle of a caterpillar warns of heavy snow. If it is fat and fuzzy – bitter cold
More tomorrow.
Technorati Tags Weather Lore
Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography here.Free Weekly eNewsletter
Farmers' Almanac Long Range Weather
February 12th - February 15th
- Northeast U.S.
Light snow, then fair skies.
- Midwest/Great Lakes U.S.
Flurries, especially Great Lakes.
- Southeast U.S.
Wet weather, then fair skies, milder.
- North Central U.S.
Flurries Northern, Central Plains east. Frigid! Approaching 30 below in parts of Montana, North Dakota.
- South Central U.S.
Scattered snow showers, very cold.
- Northwest U.S.
Gusty winds accompany scattered showers.
- Southwest U.S.
Showery, windy.
• View entire Long Range Weather Forecast »
• Farmers' Almanac 2011-12 Winter Outlook »
• View the Almanac Daily Planner »
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.