Weather Lore

[islayhawk]

Does anybody know any old weather sayings.
I remember hearing one which said :- Ash before the Oak, we are in for a soak. Oak before the Ash we are in for a splash. (This of course related to the weather for the Summer) .Cats more active meant rain. Bats flying after sunset meant fair weather. Swallows skimming the ground also meant foul weather
These sayings were probably more accurate than our TV forecasts who never seem to get it right

Regards

Islay Hawk

[Tinkerbell]

This could be an interesting thread and only time will tell if some of the lore will be accurate. It is sometimes said that an excess of berries indicates a cold hard winter to come. (An old farmer we met said - It just means there's an excess of berries!).

Tinkerbell

[Suffolk-Chris]

I remember frequently being told by my parents "Rain before seven, fine by eleven"..... usually on holiday looking out at a grey, wet day and wondering if the tent was going to float.....

[agrumpycow]

I guess one of the most famous ones is Red sky at night, shepherd's delight;
red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning. But one of my favourites is (and no good if you've had one too many!)
Whether the weather be hot,
or whether the weather be not,
we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

[The Black Rabbit]

"Be it dry or be it wet
The weather will always pay its debt"

(In which case, prepare for a rain-free Indian Summer!

TBR.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by agrumpycow

I guess one of the most famous ones is Red sky at night, shepherd's delight;
red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.

I remember a comedian doing a spot on that saying...

Red sky at night, shepherds delight
Red sky in the morning, Shepherds warning
Minced lamb and mashed potato, Shepherds pie!

TBR

[Jay77]

Cheerful one in the paper this morning -

"If the first of July be rainy weather,
It will rain more or less four weeks together"

I've never heard it before but I suspect it will be true!

[The Black Rabbit]

I've always been interested in these. My Dad taught me most of them.
Some more I can remember...

A sunny shower won't last half an hour

Rain from the east, will last 3 days. At least.

When the Stormcock (Mistle thrush) sings, facing the wind, harsh weather he'll surely bring

If a fly lands on your nose - swat it 'til it goes. If it lands again, it will bring back with it rain

One Swallow does not make a summer

Rook nests high - season dry, nests in the boughs - furrowed brows

Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry

Ice in November, to hold a duck, the rest of winter'll be slush an' muck

Near ring (moon ring) - far rain, far ring - near rain.

The last one regarding the ring around the moon seems to be very accurate indeed. Some people suggest the number of stars contained within the moon's ring are indicative of the number of hours left before it rains. Less accurate!!!
TBR

[Tormentil]

I thought "Red sky at night" meant the shepherds house was on fire !!

[epops]

If red sun beguins its race, be sure the rain will fall apace

When clouds of the morn to the west fly away,you maybe quite sure of a fine settled day

Mackerel sky,Mackerel sky,never long wet never long dry

when goats hairs are flying,it means winds are drying

Angry cloud with edges that glower that means thunder within the hour

sorry these are a few from a book i got but me dad used to swear buy them and so did grand dad when he was a horse man on the farm the book buy the way is just ageneral note book that me grand dad used to jot down various things theres loads more stuff and it makes good reading so maybe i'll post some more stuff if anyones interested .

[Adam Cheeseman]

Originally Posted by Tinkerbell

This could be an interesting thread and only time will tell if some of the lore will be accurate. It is sometimes said that an excess of berries indicates a cold hard winter to come. (An old farmer we met said - It just means there's an excess of berries!).

Tinkerbell

An excess of berries usually means the trees have been stressed by a long, hot, dry, summer and they have invested all their resources into reproduction and propogation of the species.

Cheers,

Adam

[Adam Cheeseman]

One I heard in Wales went;

If you can see the mountains, it's going to rain,
If you can't see the mountains, it already is.

Cheers,

Adam

[The Black Rabbit]

Be it wet or be it dry.
The weather is always in the sky!



Be it warm or be it cool
I'll shelter in my vestibule!


Ok.They were made up...
I'll get me coat.
TBR

[Bombus Bombus]

St.swithens day if it does rain,for 40 days it will remain.It rained up here again sunday so i suppose thats it till the end of august.Bombus Bombus.

[Jay77]

A couple for St. Bartholomew's Day (that's today) -

If 24th August be fair and clear, then hope for a prosperous autumn that year

St. Bartholomew's mantle wipes dry all the tears that St. Swithin can cry

[paulchandler6]

I just wonder how accurate these old sayings are nowdays. With the weather extremes and pollution we have. They probably held true a few hundred years ago when the atmosphere was relatively stable. With the effects of industrial and domestic pollution, deforestation etc it must have made a difference? Cheers
Maybe we need to make up some new ones!

[cavscott]

What a fascinating thread.

The joke my poor family has to put up with when someone talks about this kind of thing is 'Red sky in the morning... the barns on fire!'

The thread has given me a good idea for my magazine though...

[naturelover]

my mum said,if the cows are laying down in a field its going to rain.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by islayhawk

Does anybody know any old weather sayings.
I remember hearing one which said :- Ash before the Oak, we are in for a soak.

Just returned from a holliday in sunny Pembrokeshire and the ash are almost leafless. The oaks where fine!

[cavscott]

Originally Posted by Jez

Just returned from a holliday in sunny Pembrokeshire and the ash are almost leafless. The oaks where fine!

Better get a new waterproof then

[m1.carson]

Hi,

My joints ache, the weather's going to change.

Now I'm nearly that age I tend to agree.

And one I don't understand,

Hooray, hooray, the first of May,
outside nookie starts today.

Max.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by m1.carson

Hi,

My joints ache, the weather's going to change.

Now I'm nearly that age I tend to agree.

And one I don't understand,

Hooray, hooray, the first of May,
outside nookie starts today.

Max.

That will be Beltaine then.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

One I heard in Wales went;

If you can see the mountains, it's going to rain,
If you can't see the mountains, it already is.

Thats a coincidence, I heard this one said about Cumbria on the radio only yesterday -
It only rains twice a year in Cumbria - from July to January and from February to June .

sorry it's not weather lore, but the only ones I have heard of, have already been mentioned.

Originally Posted by naturelover

my mum said,if the cows are laying down in a field its going to rain.

That right, apparantly it is so the cows don't have to lie in the wet grass!

[hedgehog whisperer]

Dew in the night,
Next day will be bright.

Grey mists at dawn,
The day will be warm

Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight
Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning.

I like weather lore.

[JP]

If you cant see your hand its dark or foggy if your wet your In Scotland , Hi Islayhawk One of my very best friends in the world comes from Islay, Jeremy Hastings from Islay Birding do you know him? He and his wife and kids ar the most fabulous folks i have ever had the pleasure of calling my friends