Long before Doppler radar, weather satellites, and smartphone apps, people relied on their senses to anticipate changing weather. Farmers, sailors,...
Read MoreWeather Lore
Before there were weather apps for your smartphone, Doppler radar, or the National Weather Service, our ancestors were busy observing their natural surroundings and noticed that animal behavior, clouds, and other elements of nature gave clues about the weather to come.
The result: weather folklore — sayings, rhymes and anecdotes that were passed down from generation to generation. Weather lore is one of our favorite subjects here at Farmers’ Almanac, and It’s been a reader favorite since our very first edition in 1818.
Below is a collection from our archives.
For centuries, farmers, hunters, and gardeners looked to nature—not weather apps—for clues about the season ahead. While science doesn't support...
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Long before meteorologists, weather satellites, and smartphone apps, people turned to nature for clues about what the sky had in...
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"When the swallows fly low, rain is on the way." For generations, farmers, fishermen, and country folk kept one eye...
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From red skies at sunset to halos around the Moon, discover which time-honored weather proverbs still have science on their...
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For generations, farmers have watched their livestock for clues about the weather. One of the most enduring pieces of weather...
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Long before Doppler radar and satellite imagery, people read the natural world to forecast the weather: sky color, cloud shape,...
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There was a time when people did not need to check the forecast to know a change was coming. You...
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There are mornings when you step outside and feel something has shifted before any forecast has said so. The air...
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The persimmon seed is the strangest American weather forecast that survives in active use. Each fall, families across the Appalachian...
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