Folk sayings about weather

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greeneggcat

Forager
Sep 9, 2005
132
0
wet wet gloucestershire
Hi, not sure if this is the right place for this but i was wondering if anybody knows any of the old sayings to do with weather forcasting?

What got me interested is that my gran said that they used to say " a lot of berries come before a bad winter, its natures way of providing for the animals to fatten them up". This was said because of the high amount of berries this year.

It reminded me of an article i read a few years back about traditional forcasting signs/ways and how they are dying out. So i wondered if any one knows any? ( no red sky at night please! :D ).

Of course the validity of them could only be measured over time, but hey im young (ish), many thanks in advance. :)

greeneggcat
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Hi Greeneggcat,how about When Swallows fly high the weather will be dry,but when Swallows fly low get your rain gear in tow.

Its the only one i can think of just now.

Cheers Stuart.
 

tjwuk

Nomad
Apr 4, 2009
329
0
Cornwall
Best one must be 'don't listen to the weatherman' Never get it right anyway.

What about, if a cat washes over its ears its going to rain.
 

dogwood

Settler
Oct 16, 2008
501
0
San Francisco
Nice idea for a thread!

There's the classic:

"Red sky at morning, sailors take warning, red sky at night, sailors delight."

And it happens to be true most of the time!
 
One i know is if crows build nests high the summer will be dry if crows build low it will be wet.not the most the most poetic i know but it kinda makes sense-if the crows build their nests high up it is to get the coolness in summer heat and if they build lower in tree its to gain the extra protection of the leaves from the rain
Cheers
Sam
 

Eric_Methven

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 20, 2005
3,600
42
73
Durham City, County Durham
The moon and the weather may change together,
But a change of the moon, will not change the weather.

A ring around the sun or moon, means rain or snow coming soon.

When grass is dry at morning light
Look for rain before the night.

Dew on the grass, rain won't come to pass.

Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand,
It's never good weather while you're on the land.

When sea-gulls fly to land, a storm is at hand.

Rain before seven, fine before eleven.
Evening red and morning grey, two sure signs of one fine day.

The sudden storm lasts not three hours
The sharper the blast, the sooner 'tis past.

The higher the clouds the better the weather.

Cold is the night when the stars shine bright.

Sound travelling far and wide, a stormy day betide.

When the forest murmurs and the mountain roars,
Then close your windows and shut your doors.

When leaves show their undersides, be very sure that rain betides.

Chimney smoke descends, our nice weather ends.

When the night goes to bed with a fever, it will awake with a wet head.

When stars shine clear and bright,
We will have a very cold night.

When the ditch and pond offend the nose,
Then look out for rain and stormy blows.

Three days rain will empty any sky.

The farther the sight, the nearer the rain.

Rain long foretold, long last,
Short notice, soon will pass.

If bees stay at home, rain will soon come,
If they flay away, fine will be the day.

The first and last frosts are the worst.

When clouds look like black smoke a wise man will put on his cloak.

A rainbow afternoon,
Good weather coming soon.

A rainbow in the morning, is the shepherd's warning
A rainbow at night is the shepherd's delight.

When the chairs squeak, it's of rain they speak.

Catchy drawer and sticky door,
Coming rain will pour and pour.

The winds of the daytime wrestle and fight,
Longer and stronger than those of the night.

Dust rising in dry weather is a sign of approaching change.

Sun sets Friday clear as bell,
Rain on Monday sure as hell.

No weather's ill if the wind be still.

The squeak of the snow will the temperature show.

When smoke hovers close to the ground, there will be a weather change.

When down the chimney falls the soot
Mud will soon be underfoot.

When the sun shines while raining,
it will rain the same time again tomorrow.

When the wind blows from the west, fish bite best.
When it blows from the east, fish bite least.

If salt is sticky,
And gains in weight;
It will rain
Before too late.


When clouds appear like rocks and towers,
The Earth's refreshed by frequent showers.

When the wind is in the east, 'tis neither good for man nor beast.

The more cloud types present, the greater the chance of rain or snow.
 

trewornan

Member
Sep 24, 2005
17
0
UK
If St Swithin's day does rain
Forty days it will remain
If St Swithin's day be fair
Forty days will rain no more

St Swithin's day = 15 July

Demonstrably false of course.
 
In my mountain biking days one only had to mention "the R word" and it'd be sure to start throwing it down.
Not poetic, but it was serious enough to cause arguments (and in one episode of a popular biking comic strip - it nearly lead to murder).

In fact, I'd go as far as to say it trumps all other folk things about weather. There could be no clouds, cows with no intention of lying down, crows nests high up, red sky at night and all the rest and if a mountain biker says the word "rain" - it's gonna POUR.
 

MartiniDave

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 29, 2003
2,355
130
62
Cambridgeshire
In a similar vein my old Mum & Dad used to say:-
"February fill-dyke, black or white."

Meanig you could expect the ditches to be filled during feb, with either rain (black) or snow (white). I think it must be a fenland thing.

Dave
 

CBJ

Native
Jan 28, 2009
1,055
0
40
Aberdeenshire
Another one that isnt poetic

We check our shetlands pony coat:

If its long and thick its going to be a bad winter, if its just long its going to be a wet un

He hasnt been wrong yet :)
 

durulz

Need to contact Admin...
Jun 9, 2008
1,755
1
Elsewhere
'When the wind blows from the east, it's no good for man nor beast.'

'Red sky at night, the bloody barn's alight!'
 

MartiniDave

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 29, 2003
2,355
130
62
Cambridgeshire
Oh! Just remembered this one from the village I grew up in.

If you can see Ely cathedral its going to rain.
If you can't see it, its already raining!

Dave
 

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