Weather Lore Proverbs and Tall Tales *And occasionally a fact or two* The John C. Freeman Weather Museum Houston, TX

1. Weather Lore Proverbs and Tall Tales *And occasionally a fact or two* The John C. Freeman Weather Museum Houston, TX at Weather Research Center www.wxresearch.org

2. Weather Folklore…Explained at Weather Research Center www.wxresearch.org

3. Red Sky in the Morning, Sailor’s Warning • A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.

4. Red Sky at Night, Sailor’s Delight • When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles. This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Basically good weather will follow.

5. Mare’s Tails and Mackerel’s Scales Make Tall Ships Take in Their Sails • Mare’s Tails = Cirrus Clouds • Mackerel’s Scales = Cirrocumulus Clouds • Cirrus clouds often precede warm fronts which bring veering winds and rain

6. Clear Moon, Frost Soon • If the atmosphere is clear, the earth’s surface cools rapidly at night since the “blanket” of clouds isn’t there to keep heat from radiating back into space. If it gets cold enough and there isn’t any wind, frost may form.

7. A Year of Snow, A Year of Plenty • A continuous covering of snow protects crops from alternate thawing and freezing that can destroy them. The snow keeps the plants alive ensuring a large harvest.

8. Halo around the Sun or Moon, Rain or Snow Soon • Halo = layer of cirro-stratus clouds made of ice crystals. The ice acts like a prism to sun or moon light, causing the halo. • Cirro-stratus clouds often indicate an approaching warm front and low pressure • The brighter the halo, the greater the probability of rain/snow.

9. Rainbow in the Morning Gives You Fair Warning • In the morning, the sun is east and the shower and its rainbow are west. Weather mostly moves west to east, so the rainbow indicates rain is moving west toward the observer.

10. When the Stars Begin to Huddle,The Earth Will Soon Become a Puddle • As clouds increase, whole areas of stars are hidden by clouds. This makes groups of stars in the clear parts of the sky seem to huddle together. The more clouds, the more chance of rain.

11. When Seagulls Fly to Land, a Storm is at Hand • Seagulls can sense the falling pressure that occurs before rain. They fly to land to avoid the struggle of flying in the wind and rain.

12. When the Clouds Appear Like Rocks and Towers,The Earth’s Refreshed by Frequent Showers • When cumulus clouds begin to grow very large and tall, especially in the afternoon, it is caused by intense surface heating which is causing a lot of hot air to rise. Rising air and towering cumulus clouds are a good indicator that you should expect rain and possibly thunderstorms soon.

13. Tall Tales at Weather Research Center www.wxresearch.org

14. How to Tell if Pressure is Falling: • Cows are less willing to go to pasture and will lie down

15. Deer and elk come down from mountains and seek shelter • People with joint and teeth problems or recently healed broken bones will feel pain/pressure in those areas

16. The grooming activities of cats will increase • Some birds, such as crows and geese, call more frequently

17. How to tell if Humidity is Increasing: • Some flowers will close up so that the rain does not wash away pollen • Leaves curl closed

18. Sound travels better. Chances of rain used to be gauged by how clearly townspeople could hear the church bells. • Flying insects are more active and stay closer to the ground

19. Crickets & Air Temperature • Need to know the approximate current temperature and all you have handy is a cricket? • Count the number of cricket chirps in a 14-second period and add 40 • The total will equal the air temperature to within one degree 75% of the time

20. Works Cited • http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/weather_proverbs.htm • http://www.wxdude.com/proverb.html • http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/weather/hsweathr/proverb.html • http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/weather/hsweathr/folklssn.html • Humphreys, W.J. Weather Proverbs and Paradoxes. Williams & Wilkins Co., 1923. • Inwards, Richard. Weather Lore, the Unique Bedside Book. Rider and Co., 1950. • Bomar, George W. Texas Weather. U. of TX Press, 1983.