Using Nature

Today is Observe The Weather Day, so here are some tricks you can use to predict your local weather patterns by using nature as your guide.

• Birds often fly low during stormy weather, and higher in pleasant weather. They may even stop flying altogether when a severe storm is nearby.
• If birds eat in a storm, then it’ll last a long time.
• Snakes can predict earthquakes. If you see them out of their nest acting erratically, one is about to happen. Same with your pets.
• Tortoises will seek higher ground before a storm. If you see them on the road, then one is going to happen any day now.
• Woolly Bear Caterpillars are like the Puxatony Phil of bugs. They predict how severe winter is going to be with its coat. The more brown they are, the milder the winter will be.
• If frogs are croaking loudly, then it’s about to rain.
• When it’s colder out, crickets produce less frequent chirping sounds.
• When ladybugs swarm, expect the day to be warm.
• Before a storm, ants will build high mounds with steep sides.
• Bees will disappear from flower beds when a long, cold winter is on the horizon.
• Very bushy squirrel tails in the autumn mean a cold winter is coming.
• If they store their nuts high in the trees, then the snow will be deep.
• Wild turkeys perch in trees and are reluctant to descend if bad weather is near.
• Deer and elk descend from their mountain homes several days before a rainstorm hits.
• A sky with a reddish color during sunrise or sunset means the sun is shining through a lot of water vapor in the air. If the red tones happen in the morning, it means a storm is approaching from the west. But, in the evening, it means the weather is clearing up in the west and no storm is coming.
• Another indicator of too much moisture in the air creating a storm is a rainbow. The saying goes, “A rainbow in the morning is nature’s warning.”
• High, white clouds mean a bright, sunny day while low, black clouds are a sign of rain.
• The more ragged the bottom of a cloud is, the more likely it is to rain.
• Heavy cloud cover at night means the next day will be warm.
• If it’s raining at 7 AM, then it has probably been raining all night and the storm is almost over. Most likely it will end by 11 AM, or as the saying goes; “Rain before seven, fine by eleven.”
• Stand with your back to the wind. If the clouds are moving towards or away from you, then the weather will stay the same. If they are moving left to right, the weather is going to get worse, while right to left means the weather is going to get better.
• If a winter night sky is clear and a bright moon is shining, then it will be a chilly morning.
• A hazy moon signifies rain in the next day or two.
• If leaves fall early, winter will be mild. If leaves fall late, then winter will be wild.
• Oak and maple leaves curl when rain is nearby.
• When flowers close, it means bad weather is close by.
• If there is dew on the grass at sunrise, then expect clear weather for the next several hours. If the grass is dry in the morning, then expect rain later in the day.
• Open pines, the weather’s fine. This means if pine cones are open, the air is warm and dry enough for them to spread their seeds.
• If the water level is high upstream, then prepare for a flood downstream.