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Most of us have heard and perhaps even used on our own children, some weird warnings – you know like you can’t go swimming until you let your food rest in your stomach for 30 minutes, or don’t sit so close to the TV or you’ll go blind. Well last Friday we asked our web visitors to share with us “the most outrageous thing your parents ever told you to stop you from doing something.”

Some of the answers were so funny we had to share. Enjoy:

Don’t touch toads, they give you warts
.

If you don’t put your tongue back in your mouth, I’m going to make tongue soup for dinner.

If you keep picking at your bellybutton, your guts are going to come out of it.

Never slap someone older than you, your hand will shrivel up and fall off.

If you kiss your elbow you will turn into a boy!

If you stick your lower lip out, a bird will come along and poop on it.

My mom used to tell us eating dough would give you worms.

White milk came from white cows and chocolate milk came from brown cows.

If you don’t brush your hair you will get rats, that’s why they call them rat’s nests!

Eating burnt biscuits would put hair on your chest.

Don’t pick and eat a green apple off of the “tree” you will end up in the hospital!!

If you play with fire, you’ll wet the bed.

I was told if I was a bad child the gypsies would come and take me away.

Don’t swallow your gum because then you will fart bubbles!!

Have any more unusual ones to add?

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The Hurricane Forecast Team at the University of Colorado released their predictions for the coming season this week. The group expects 31 named storms, including four major hurricanes, nine other hurricanes, and 18 tropical storms.

This prediction, if accurate, would make 2013 an exceptionally active year for tropical storm activity. A typical year sees two major hurricanes, six other hurricanes, and 12 named tropical storms.

A named storm features sustained winds of at least 39 mph, while a hurricane has sustained winds of at least 74 mph. A major hurricane is any hurricane that reaches category 3 or greater, which requires sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

Forecasters also say there is a 72% chance that one of those major hurricanes will make landfall in the U.S. There hasn’t been a major hurricane on U.S. soil since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While there have been major hurricanes since then, all have stayed out at sea, wreaking their havoc from afar.

The most recent major hurricane was hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast in October. Sandy was a category 3 when it hit Cuba, but had dissipated to a category 1 by the time it reached the U.S.

The Colorado forecast and the National Hurricane Center, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are probably the two most closely watched annual hurricane forecasts in the country.

Last year, the Colorado team’s forecast was off. They predicted 10 named storms, four hurricanes and two major hurricanes. Instead, the Atlantic saw nearly twice that number, with 19 named storms, 10 hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

NOAA will probably release its predicitions for the season in late May.

We’ll also be releasing our predictions for hurricane season in late May, though our forecaster, Caleb Weatherbee, actually completed his forecast more than two years ago.

Can’t wait to see what he said? You can find out what we’re predicting for hurricane season right now by picking up a copy of the 2013 Farmers’ Almanac.

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As the temperatures begin (albeit slowly this year) to warm, and the great outdoors beckon you outside, keep in mind that the night sky is also a fun way to appreciate the great outdoors.

April has been deemed Global Astronomy Month by a group called Astronomers Without Borders. On their web site - it explains, “The star-filled night fascinates us all. People have gazed upward at it in wonder and awe for thousands of years. Regardless of earthly differences in culture, nationality or religion, the heavens are a common meeting ground for all of Earth’s inhabitants. The boundaries we place between us vanish when we look skyward. Whoever, whatever or wherever we are, we all share the same sky.”

On this web site you will find some interesting information about ways to get involved and celebrate Global Astronomy Month, offering activities, links to other sites, and some great astronomical resources.

This week is also International Dark Sky Week-- which is a week dedicated towards paying attention to the beauty and awe of a dark sky filled with stars, and the issue of how light pollution really takes away from star gazing.

Be sure to check out both sites to find out how you can get involved or just learn a bit more about the night sky this month.

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Images courtesy of the Space Science and Engineering Center at UW-Madison.

Spring officially arrived, as scheduled, this year on March 20, but residents of much of the United States and Canada would be hard-pressed to believe it.

Last month was the second coldest March of the 21st Century, and 13 degrees colder than last March.

It shows. Just take a look at the animation above, showing the area surrounding the western Great Lakes earlier this week and at this the same time last year. The difference is stark. Here in Maine, at the Farmers’ Almanac’s head office, the cold spring provide a sharp contrast to last year’s unusual 85 degree days during the opening days of the season.

So why has it been so cold?
During a normal spring, the jet stream carries warm air up from the Southern Hemisphere. This year, however, a large high pressure system – essentially a stationary mass of warm air – has stagnated over the Atlantic Ocean and Greenland, blocking the normal flow of weather systems.

Instead, that high pressure system has redirected the flow of air so that Arctic air from the Northwest blast down across the Canada and the Great Lakes, punishing the Midwest and Eastern U.S.

Fortunately for those who are longing for spring, the high-pressure has already begun to dissipate, and should loosen its grip soon, allowing spring to truly get underway.

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My favorite trip of the year starts this week. I will embark on my 4th visit to Port au Price, Haiti, returning on the 11th. The South Lewiston Baptist Church has had a longstanding partnership with Bethesda Baptist Church and Pastor Nathan Cherelus.

Prior to and after the earthquake, this group of devoted individuals have worked to build, and now rebuild, a church and school for a pastor who serves thousands of families in the county’s beleaguered capital. I have been asked whether progress is being made since the earthquake. The quick answer is certainly, but there is so much more to do. I will actually know more in a few days.

The incredible debris has been cleared, but there has been little progress on roads, water system and electricity. Clearly, Haiti is the poorest economy in this hemisphere. I wrote a blog after my first visit talking about the resiliency of the people. They are so beautiful – appearance and attitudes. I think of how we would handle the same conditions. They just make it through life each day with family and God is at the core of their existence.

I thank all who have communicated with me over the years, and to the thousands who continue travel to Haiti to help with its immediate needs and longtime growth. More when I return. Meanwhile, go to our archives and read about my experiences.

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Poor Phil. He got it wrong. On his day back in February his predictions inaccurately called for an early arrival of spring. Um it didn’t happen.

Since then, there have death threats, a lawsuit calling not only for his arrest but the death penalty, and the official calendar arrival of spring. But the newest reports reveal that this furry forecaster has recently gone missing.

There were no ransom notes or clues left behind but he has left Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Many people believe they saw him head north. Others worry he’s run away to a zoo to hide.  And still others worry if an angry mob kidnapped him or worse yet, sold him to a road kill café.

But rest assured. He is in a safe location. Here at the Farmers’ Almanac we were truly worried about our fellow weather prognosticator, (even though we didn’t predict an early spring), and as such want to make sure that he is going to pull out of such a scandal unscathed.

We’d also like to help him out a bit with his prediction skills. So we will come clean. We have kidnapped or ‘hognapped Phil and have him under close surveillance. All for good reasons.

We feel that if we fill him in a little on our secret weather formula that perhaps he will gain some insight and not be so wrong in the future. We promise to return him unharmed, but changed…for the better, once he’s absorbed some of our lessons in weather.

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When you think of March Madness, the NCAA women’s and men’s basketball tournaments come to mind. But, the true madness lies in the weather.

March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. But, not so fast in 2013. The extent of the current weather in the central US and Mid-Atlantic states is a potent reminder that spring can bring some of the worst weather of the season.

New England was hit by more than a foot of snow in some areas this month, with additional snow after the fact. Washington D.C. (downtown) got their first inch of snow in two years. Parts of Kansas got more snow in this storm than they average most winters.

The next couple of days will provide the true test of what sort of animal the end of March is to be.

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The following is a guest post from the creators of HistoricNaturalDisasters.com, a fascinating new web project that compares historic photos of natural disasters with Google Earth images of those same areas today. But don’t take our word. Check out what they have to say:

This week marks the 100-year anniversary of one of the worst – and least talked-about – natural disasters in US history. A series of mighty storms tore through the Midwest during this week in 1913, causing millions of dollars in damage and killing hundreds. The storms worked their way East from Nebraska to New York, and South from Iowa to Louisiana, delivering tornadoes, floods, rain, ice, and snow and enough destruction to bring a huge swath of the nation to a grinding halt.

First came the more than 20 separate tornadoes that were reported between March 21st and 23rd, 1913. Tearing through Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, and Indiana, these storms caused millions of dollars in damage and destroyed thousands of homes and properties.

The worst damage was dealt to the city of Omaha, Nebraska on March 23 1913. A category F4 tornado cut right through the middle of town on Easter Sunday, throwing trees through houses and flinging cars, gravestones, and everything else in its path as far as several miles away. Once the storm had passed through the city, fires started to burn what little was left. In all, 115 people were killed and the city sustained over $8 million in damage ($187 million in today’s dollars).

Terra Haute, Indiana and Lower Peach Tree, Alabama were also hit hard by F4 tornadoes, with 21 and 27 dead respectively. After the two days of storms damages of over $10 million ($235 million in 2013 dollars) were reported, but these figures don’t take into account the losses of the many people who didn’t have insurance.

After the tornadoes had torn through the land, the rains came, filling the rivers and streams of the Midwestern US to the breaking point. Levees, dams, and bridges began to fail across Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania and Indiana under the pressure from the rivers swollen by the rain, and by March 25th some cities and towns found themselves essentially swallowed whole by the flood waters.

In Ohio, cities like Piqua, Tory and Hamilton saw death and destruction from flooding, but Dayton, Ohio was hit the hardest, with over 14 square miles of the city underwater by the time the flood’s advance slowed on March 26th. Some areas of the city disappeared beneath up to 20 feet of water as the rushing waters tore houses and businesses from their foundations and took out miles of railroads. The floods in Dayton proved to be even more damaging than the tornado in Omaha, especially when fires fed by ruptured gas lines and fanned by high winds swept through the city in the floods wake. All told, disaster was responsible for killing 360 people in Dayton and inflicting over $100 million in damage ($2 billion in today’s dollars). The cleanup effort after the flood and fires would take over a year, and Dayton’s economy wouldn’t fully recover from the events for over a decade.

Check out some of the then and now photos at the end of this post. We really hope you enjoyed this snippet of history!

We’d also like to thank some of the great archives and archivists who have done so much to work to help preserve the amazing history of the 1913 flood, including the Dayton Metro Library and historian Trudy Bell. The amount of history compiled at these two websites is truly amazing. Lastly, thanks to Jason from InsuranceTown.com, who lent us some of the resources we used to help prepare content for the web and publish our blog, and inspired our Mapping History Contest.

Don’t forget to check out HistoricNaturalDisasters.com for more images, and for information on our Mapping History Contest – help us figure out the locations pictured in historic photos from 1913 and you could win $100!

24th & Lake, Omaha, in 1913

24th & Lake, Omaha, today

Fourth & Main streets, Dayton, in 1913

Fourth & Maine streets, Dayton, today

Jenkins Drug Store, Dayton, in 1913

Jenkins Drug Store, Dayton, today

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Easter and Passover are almost here. While there are many celebrations, customs and religious observations that occur this week, there are also many traditional foods that are served and consumed. Ever wonder why we eat certain foods during these holidays?

Some of the traditional foods served during Passover include:

Matzoh. Three unleavened pieces of matzohs are placed in folded napkins as a reminder of how quickly the Israelites had to flee Egypt, leaving no time for the dough to rise.

Horseradish is served to symbolize the bitterness of slavery.

A mixture of apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon – referred to as Charoses – is another food eaten during Passover and is suppose to remind people of the mortar used by the Jewish slaves when they constructed buildings.

Roasted lamb shank bone, referred to as Zeroah, represents the paschal offering.

A bowl of vegetables, usually celery, called Karpas, is another traditional food that represents hope and redemption.

Christians celebrate Easter with some traditional foods but seem to have more regional and family favorites rather than religiously dictated foods.

Ham is often served at the Eater table, which may seem odd since Jesus was Jewish and wouldn’t have eaten pork. It seems that this holiday food comes more from the timing of Easter rather than a religious meaning. Years ago, hams served during the Easter holiday were from meat that was originally slaughtered in the fall and cured throughout winter months. Since the holiday of Easter falls in spring, this celebration was cause to use the last of the winter-cured meats.

Eggs are a big part of the Easter tradition. Eggs are traditionally connected with rebirth, rejuvenation, and immortality. Since Easter is celebrated as the resurrection of Jesus, and it observed in the spring (a time when flowers, grass and other vegetation is born again), there’s an obvious connection with this food that reminds people of rebirth. Another reason may be that eggs during early Christian days were forbidden during Lent. So after the 40 days of not eating them, Easter was a welcomed day to eat eggs once again.

Hot Cross Buns – bread is a big part of many religious traditions and ceremonies, but the origin of hot cross buns predates Christianity in Europe. Supposedly the buns were made to celebrate the spring equinox in pagan societies, and have since been served during the Easter season.

What other traditional foods do you eat/serve on either Passover or Easter? My grandmother made Easter Bread with colored eggs baked into them, rather than hot cross buns.