Into the Outdoors: Traditional Weather Predictors

Since weather is such a big factor for us outdoor folks, let’s take our annual look at some old time traditional weather predictors. There is probably more folklore surrounding weather than any other natural phenomenon. Surprisingly enough, even in the face of ultra-high level technology, many of these have survived and are believed by many people, regardless of age, educational level, etc. Some actually have their origin in religious beliefs. While some may have a scientific basis in regards to such things as atmospheric conditions, they are still fraught with legend. Many are totally undependable, while others are marginal at best. They’re still a lot of fun.

One of the best known beliefs involves the woolly bear caterpillar. Legend has it that the more brown on the caterpillar, the milder the winter will be, while more black indicates rough times ahead. As with most legends, this one varies from place to place. In some places it is believed that more brown and less black means a bad winter. My mother was a believer in the more black worse winter school of thought. Even if it didn’t pan out, she still placed stock in it. Some legends revolve around the Saints Days in the early church calendar. Every year, I plan to jot down the weather on these days to test the accuracy of the predictions, but I always seem to forget to do it. Anyway, if it’s sunny on February 12th, it supposedly foretells a good apple crop. The weather on February 22nd is believed to foretell the predominant weather pattern for the next 40 days. If it’s cold on February 24th, it will soon get warm, and if it’s warm, don’t put your woolies away just yet.

Humans have often used the creatures around them as weather prognosticators. While everyone knows about the groundhog, other examples are less well known. Spiders are often given credit for meteorological ability. If they leave their webs and cling to walls, bad weather is coming. If they work on their webs during rain, the rain will end soon, while morning web construction means good weather is on the way. These apply equally whether the arachnids are indoors or outdoors.

Dog and cat behavior is also surrounded by weather forecasting legend. If a cat hangs around a fire or heater and licks its feet, expect precipitation of some kind. This one just can’t be true. If it were, and our cats were any indication, it would rain or snow almost every day of the year. An old cat playing like a kitten is a sign that a storm is coming, and if the sparks fly when you pet your cat, the weather is about to change. A dog rubbing himself in winter is indicative of a coming thaw, while digging, howling, eating grass and refusing meat are signs of approaching rain.

Last, but certainly not least, we can use our own bodies as forecasters. A study of arthritic patients showed that 72 percent suffered more pain when the barometer fell. Bad teeth, corns, bunions and old injuries seem to cause trouble ahead of rain or snow, and sinus headaches are also more common at such times. Unlike the previous examples, these do seem to have some scientific basis.

There are many more forecasters than those mentioned here. Hopefully, you enjoyed this little journey into folklore. Here’s hoping that spring comes sooner rather than later.

The photo, which I came across on the Internet, shows a melanistic whitetail deer. This is the most rare color found in the species.

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