In middle of August i stoped hearing the morning birds sing. And dont see alot of birds no more all’s i see is a BUNCH of black and brown squirrals with walnuts and acorns and seeing huge spider webs and spiders. Does that mean a sign of a bad winter is on it’s way??
Dan
The spiders spinning like crazy (and also if they’re trying to get into your house) is a sign of a heavy winter to come. People are reporting that birds and butterflies have migrated already. And I heard someone else talk about the tons of acorns they are seeing already. All of these are supposed to be a sign of a heavy winter. I only follow the signs for fun, and you should really look at the forecast maps but since the forecasts are all over the place this year, we will have either wait for a more definitive forecast, or rely on the signs more, in order to prepare for winter.
I think the birds near my house left at least a week ago because I haven’t seen them around.
By the way, I am hoping for a heavy winter.
You and I both are hoping for a heavy winter Rainsticks! Grandin I think you’d better start chopping some logs; sounds like you’re gonna have a hum-dinger of a winter there my buddy!
Although the forecast maps are all over the place; it does seems to agree that the mid atlantic, and the lakes area will get some snow. Perhaps not record setting snow like 2009, but definetly more than the 4.5″ we got last year. This gets me excited! But first thing first…I want to enjoy this Autumn and all it’s splendor!
Seeing alot of spider webs and squirrels here in ct.
Yes, interstatelover, we are in the same general area and I have never seen so many spiders! They are everywhere!
Also, squirrels are going nuts on my deck with the birdseed. But I am noticing that , while they are very busy, they don’t seem to be too chubby or have bushy tails. Isn’t there some folklore about that?
Also,I am not seeing a lot of birds at the feeder anymore. But it’s possible that the squirrels scared them away (although that has never happened before!)
I think that these are good signs for us. What about you? Do you agree?
Haven’t seen many birds lately. Still got squirrels though. Still seeing spiders too. I seen a banana spider at a local park that I went riding at not too long ago. That thing was big, and so was it’s web. SOME leaves are starting to change.
Dan,
It seems like the progression of Rossby waves has slowed over the last few years and the weather patterns have reflected this slowing. The brutal cold wave that gripped Europe last year and the heat this year are reflections of this. Which means we will probably get stuck in one pattern or another with very little change for weeks on end. If we get stuck in a cold pattern it may be a brutal winter and vise versa. I just hope it’s a colder pattern as last winter was boring.
I agree glenn. and i hope we we get stuck in a cold pattern! if we do and it snows there take pictures for sure!
Dan
glennkoks… while I know that much of the continent saw a very steady pattern this summer, my small little region happened to see quite a few changes (warm and humid one week, cool and dry the next, etc.) … do you think that an unsteady pattern will continue for NNE into fall and winter, or will it steady out like the rest of the nation?
TheMaineMan, I think it will steady out like the rest of the nation. But keep in mind, steady may be nasty, cold and snowy for weeks on end or mild like the winter we had last year. Last year while we were basking in the warmth Europe was taking a beating. I think its going to be an all or nothing type year. We will see but I am leaning towards a long cold winter due to persistent blocking.
Bird nests are pretty high in the trees, or at least, the ones that stay for winter, haven’t heard any bird songs in a few days myself, foliage is beautiful and nights have been nice and crisp, dropping into the 30 s and 40s, no frost here just yet, but that will come in due time, if I were to read the signs out here, I would say that more than likely a brutally cold and snowy winter could be on tap from the Central Rockies to the East Coast, with especially frigid arctic outbreaks into the Northern and Central Plains, extending into the upper Great Lakes, and two focal points for big snows, one being up the eastern seaboard, especially the Mid Atlantic and southern New England, and two being across Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and northern New Mexico, both these areas could be in for some massive arctic blasts and some powerful winter storms, that is my best guess right now given the signs and the latest analysis on what the atmosphere seems to be gearing up for, with the AMO, NAO, AO, PDO, MJO, PNA, apparent waning El Nino conditions in the tropical Pacific and all the latest GFS and ECMWF model projections going into October and November, both indicating some kind of massive, nearly nation-wide crash in temperatures at some point.
I thought my backyard birds disappeared. And they did, and for a while I heard nothing, Now I am hearing a little activity in the morning again, but it wasn’t the birds that usually occupy my tree and roof. I really hope these are just migrating birds and not a sign that winter isn’t coming this year!