Discover Natural Weather Forecasting and How It Can Benefit Every Aspect of Your Life.

As most people are aware, we did not always have scientific tools to predict or forecast the weather. People have long used, and continue to use, animal behaviour, patterns they observe, and good old-fashioned folklore and wives tales to predict the weather.

If you were in a place where there was nothing new and modern and you had to rely on something else, it never hurts to be aware of what is out there, so familiarise yourself with some of the old-time methods used. Of course, these methods aren't perfect or fool-proof, but they do serve a purpose.

FORMULAS AND GENERAL WEATHER

Deaths are most common when the tide is receding.

When the tide is coming in, births occur.

A storm's distance could be calculated by counting from the flash of lightning to the sound of thunder.

Winter thunder signals the arrival of snow within the next ten days.

Create a campfire. The smoke should continue to rise steadily. Low pressure causes swirling and descending smoke (i.e. rain on the way).

Take a long, deep breath. Close your eyes and inhale the fresh air.

Plants expel their waste in a low-pressure environment, emitting a compost-like odour and signalling the impending arrival of rain.

Because of the lower pressure, swamps will release gases just before a storm, resulting in unpleasant odours.

"Flowers smell best just before a rain," a proverb says. Scents are more potent in moist air, which is associated with rainy weather.

Scarlet pimpernel, also known as the Poor Man's Barometer, closes its flowers when atmospheric pressure drops and rain is on the way. Tulips and dandelions do the same thing.

A persimmon seed can be used to forecast the weather. Here's how to go about it:

Cut a persimmon seed in half.

Take a look at the inside of the kernel.

A lot of heavy, wet snow will fall if the kernel is spoon-shaped. A spoon is a shovel!

If it is shaped like a fork, you can expect powdery, light snow and a mild winter.

If the kernel is knife-shaped, expect icy, cutting winds to "cut" it.

It is preferable to use ripe seeds.

Did you know that counting the chirps of a cricket can tell you the temperature? That's correct! Here's how it works:

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 14 seconds and multiply by 40.

30 chirps plus 40 equals 70° F.

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Celsius, count the number of chirps in 25 seconds, divide by three, and then multiply by four.

For instance, 48 chirps / (divided by) 3 + 4 = 20 degrees Celsius

The weather can be predicted by reading a Pig's spleen.

Divide the spleen into 6 sections from top to bottom.

The top nearest the head displays the current month.

Bottom is the sixth and final month.

Where the spleen thickens, there is a change in the weather, usually indicating a cold spell.

Expect even more inclement weather where there is a noticeable bulge.

Examining a Goose Bone

Keep an eye on the colour of the bone as it dries.

A cold winter lay ahead if the bone turned blue, black, or purple.

The colour white denoted a mild winter.

Purple tips were an unmistakable indicator of a cold spring.

A blue colour branching out toward the edge of the bone indicated that the weather was fine until New Year's Day.

A bad winter was predicted if the bone was a dark colour or blue all over.

The woolly bear caterpillar, with its 13 distinct black and reddish-brown segments, is rumoured to be able to predict the coming winter weather. Legend has it that the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the upcoming winter will be. A narrow brown band, on the other hand, is said to foretell a harsh winter.

ANIMALS

A bad winter is on the way if a deer or cow has extra layers of fat when slaughtered.

Cows swarming beneath large trees indicate that rain is on its way.

When dogs eat grass, expect rain.

When cats purr and wash, rain is on the way.

When sheep face the wind, rain is on the way.

When oxen sniff the air, rain is on the way.

When swine are agitated, rain is likely.

If the deer are out grazing early, there will be a big storm.

Squirrels nesting in dead trees rather than making leaf nests indicate a harsh winter.

If all the cows in the pastures are lying down, it's a sure sign that it's going to rain.

Expect rain if the bull leads the cows to pasture.

The weather will be unpredictable if the cows arrive before the bull.

When cats sneeze, it is a sign of impending rain.

Fair weather is indicated by bats flying late in the evening.

If the groundhog sees its shadow on Candlemas Day (February 2), there will be six more weeks of winter.

It will rain when horses and cattle stretch their necks and sniff the air.

Expect severe weather if the mole digs a hole 212 feet deep.

If the mole digs a hole two feet deep, the weather will be less severe.

Expect a mild winter if the mole digs a hole one foot deep.

Expect a cold winter if pigs gather leaves and straw.

Expect a long, cold winter if rabbits are fat in October and November.

Expect clear skies if sheep ascend hills and scatter.

Wolves howl louder before a storm.

BIRDS

Birds singing in the rain indicate that good weather is on its way.

If birds become tame in the autumn, the winter will be too cold for game.

Partridge drumming in the autumn foretells of a mild and open winter.

Just before rain, chickens cackle and owls howl.

Crows flying in pairs indicate good weather; crows flying alone indicate bad weather.

Expect rain if fowls roost during the day.

If a storm is approaching, seagulls will stop flying and seek refuge near the coast.

Animals, particularly birds, become extremely quiet just before it rains.

The whiteness of a goose's breastbone indicates the type of winter that has occurred: A cold and stormy winter is indicated by a red or dark-spotted bone; a mild winter is indicated by few or light-colored spots.

Expect cold weather when domestic geese walk east and fly west.

A clear sky is indicated by hawks flying high. Prepare for a blow if they fly low.

Petrels congregating under a ship's stern denotes bad weather.

When the rooster goes to bed, he will wake up with a wet head.

Expect a storm if seagulls fly inland.

Summer is extremely dry when the swallow's nest is high.

You can reap and sow safely when the swallow builds to a low level.

According to an old wives' tale, if birds feed during a storm, it will rain for a long time; if they do not, it will clear quickly.

REPTILES AND INSECTS

If ants build their walls frequently, rain will fall from the clouds.

Ants are active, gnats bite, crickets sing more loudly than usual, spiders emerge from their webs, and flies congregate in houses just before rain.

When bees fly a long distance, the days are warm and the skies are clear; however, when their flight ends near their destination, stormy weather is almost certain.

When there is a chance of heavy rain, turtles will often seek higher ground. During this time, you will frequently see them on the road (1 to 2 days before the rain.)

A large number of fireflies indicates good weather.

Expect a cold and early winter if hornets build their nests near the ground.

When cicadas are heard, dry weather will follow, followed by frost in six weeks.

When spider webs fly in the air, the spell will soon become very dry.

Rain is indicated by moving spiders.

It will rain if you kill a spider indoors.

It will rain if you hang a dead snake over a fence.

Expect a pleasant day when spider-webs are wet with dew that quickly evaporates.

A night frost is brought by spider-webs floating in the autumn sunset.

The more frogs croak, the more rain falls.

Frogs singing in the evening indicate that the weather will be nice the next day.

Leeches in glass jars are active right before rain.

Hanging a snakeskin will bring rain.

THUNDER AND CLOUDS

Rain is indicated by unusual clarity in the atmosphere, with distant objects clearly visible.

Nighttime red skies, a sailor's delight. Sailor, beware of the red skies in the morning.

Evening red and morning grey are unmistakable signs of a beautiful day. Evening grey and morning red, put on a hat or you'll get wet.

If it rains before seven o'clock, it will stop before eleven o'clock.

There will be heavy rain if the wind blows the leaves on the trees upside down.

Rain from the south helps to keep the drought at bay, but rain from the west is always preferable.

A gale is caused by anvil-shaped clouds.

Rainfall falls on the face of a cloud with a round top and a flat base.

Expect rain when small clouds congregate and thicken.

In the winter, black clouds in the north indicate the arrival of snow.

Expect clearing weather when there is enough blue sky to patch a Dutchman's breeches.

A curdled sky will not keep the earth dry for long.

There is a storm in the air if you see clouds moving crosswind.

Hen scarves and filly tails cause lofty ships to sail with low sails.

Rain is usually followed by clouds that are low enough to cast shadows on the ground.

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

If there are three nights without dew, it will rain, you can count on it.

If the dew quickly evaporates, the weather will be fine; if it remains on the grass, rain will fall within 24 hours.

The next day will be bright with dew before midnight.

If you get dew on your feet in the morning, you may be able to keep them dry for the rest of the day.

The finer the weather, the higher the clouds.

If you see wispy, thin clouds where jet planes fly, you can expect some nice weather.

If small puff clouds (cumulus) with rounded tops and flat bases form in the morning or early afternoon and grow higher than the cloud's width, a thunderstorm may form.

The Moon is clear, and frost is on the way.

It will rain soon if you form a ring around the moon.

Frost will form if the night is clear enough to see the Moon and the temperature falls low enough. Be prepared for a chilly morning!

Frequent showers refresh the Earth when clouds resemble towers.

A rainbow in the morning serves as a forewarning.

A rainbow in the morning indicates that a shower is approaching from the west and that we will most likely receive it.

Rain had been predicted for a long time. Short notice, soon to be forgotten.

The grey overcast that dominates the horizon indicates that a large area is affected.

If you get caught in a surprise shower, it will most likely be brief.

Sailors delight in the red sky at night. Sailors take note of the red sky in the morning.

The weather will be pleasant when the moon rises.

It will rain when the moon is pointing down.

When a large star or planet passes close to the moon, the weather becomes violent.

If the new moon occurs on Monday, the weather will be pleasant.

If the new moon falls on a Saturday, there will be wind and rain for twenty days.

If the new moon falls on a Sunday, there will be a flood before the end of the month.

Storms and hurricanes are most likely 1-3 days after a new moon and 3-5 days after a full moon.

Easterly winds are brought by fog and a small moon.

A dry moon is visible in the far north.

It will be cold for two weeks if the new moon is far north.

It will be warm if the new moon is far south.

Warm weather is expected when the moon is nearing its full phase.