WEATHER SAYINGS and FOLKLORE
Are they FACT or FICTION?

Meteorologists with scientific instruments are not the only people who have predicted the weather! Throughout time, everyday  people, especially those whose jobs depend on nature (such as farmers), have carefully watched patterns in nature and made their own predictions. Many times they made their own predictions into sayings or folkloric rhymes. Some of these predictions prove to be true. Some are not true or not always true.

Here are just some. Ask students to find others. There are many, many of these sayings.

If the groundhog sees its shadow on February 2nd, there will be another six weeks of winter.
When squirrels lay in a big store of nuts, look for a hard winter.
Lightning never strikes in the same place.
When bees stay close to the hive, rain is close by.
Halos around the moon or sun mean that rain will surely come.
When forest murmurs and mountain roars, close the windows and shut the doors.
Moss dry, sunny sky; moss wet, rain you'll get.
You can tell the temperature by counting a cricket's chirps.
By counting the seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder,
you can tell how far away a storm is.
When smoke desccends, good weather ends.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.
A cow's tail to the west is weather coming at its best;
a cow's tail to the east is weather coming at its least.
Rain is on the way if people with curly hair find their hair curlier
and people with straight hair find their hair straighter.
Before a rainstorm-cats will clean themselves more and meow more
-pigs wallow about and squeal
-cows huddle together as is seeking comfort from each other
-horses "switch and twitch" and sometimes bolt
-insects fly low and bite more
-birds chirp more loudly
When a rainstom is coming-dandelions close their blossoms tightly
-morning glories "tuck in" their blooms as if ready for a long nap
-clover folds up its leaves
-leaves on many trees roll up or show their undersides
Rain is on the way when old people with joint or muscle problems such as
rheumatism or arthritis have stiffness and discomfort
Flies will swarm before a storm.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight,
Red sky in morning, sailor's warning.

Ring around the sun, time for fun,
Ring around the moon, storm coming soon.

If the moon rises with a halo round,
Soon we'll tread on deluged ground.

Snow like cotton,soon forgotten-
Snow like meal, it'll snow a great deal.

Mackerel sky and mares' tails,
Makes a sailor furl his sails.

Some activities to do:
Read the book A January Fog will Freeze a Hog, by Davis Hubert.
Try to test some of these sayings to see if they are true or reliable.
Make a booklet illustrationg some of these sayings.
Collect other sayings from family and friends and add to your booklet.

Weather	Weather Poems	Weather Words	Weather Instruments	Weather Books	Weather Art Activities	Weather Experiments
Weather Chart	Cloud Chart	Weather Songs	Wild Weather	Weather and Math	"Weather" Snacks	Weather Games
Weather and Language/ Literature	Questions for older students to research	Outdoor Activities	to Mrs. Bee's	Somewhere Over the Rainbow	Weather Bulletin Boards	Weather Sayings and Folklore

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Lisa's Country Clipart
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