Folklore- weather predictions

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by Motomom34, Oct 11, 2016.


  1. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Fall begins with the autumnal equinox! Officially Fall has begun. Summer is gone and we now are looking at winter. Now is the time that the predictions start to happen as to what kind of winter will we have. Weather prediction the old fashion ways is fascinating and I have found often true. Instead of running to weather. c o m, we should be learning to look around and reading the signs.

    There’s an old weather proverb that states, “If autumn leaves are slow to fall, prepare for a cold winter.” This means that leaves that hang onto the tree indicate a colder winter to come.
    First Day of Fall 2016: The Autumnal Equinox

    I know I have started this conversation before but I believe some signs, especially animal activities do tell us of what is to come. I am putting this in Back to Basics because that is what we should be doing is going back to the basics of signs, looking and listening. What some call folklore, some live by. Farmers have signs that they look for every year. After reading the list below, I would say there is a high probability of my having an early winter, snowy and cold.

    Here are 14 folk methods of predicting winter weather.

    Signs of Winter Weather: 14 Folklore Predictions - WebEcoist

    Science will always say no to something that cannot be "scientifically" proven but those that watch and remember know better. My Grandparents would make statements about seasons to come from what they saw, not what they read or what the TV told them. They lived their lives to what they felt and thought.

    I heard the more berries the worst the winter will be, last year was a mild winter and not many berries.

    I found this list of signs of a harsh winter ahead in the comments section of a Farmers Almanac article:

    20 Earthly Signs of a Harsh Winter Ahead
    Weather Predicting: Do It Yourself!
     
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  2. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Rarely have they been wrong :)

    weatherseeds.
     
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  3. Seepalaces

    Seepalaces Monkey+++

    Sorry, I'm not getting it.
     
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  4. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    It matters not to me.
    I brought my snowmobile from Maine to new Mexico. And yes it runs.
    Let it snow.
     
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  5. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I didn't either at first. My Google-Fu is strong, though. It's a Persimmon seed, and the myth is that if you split the seeds open and the sprout resembles a spoon, you will have a snowy winter. If it resembles a knife, it will be an icy winter, and if the sprout resembles a fork, the myth is that you will experience a mild winter. But, the majority of the seeds are reported to depict a spoon-shaped sprout. *shrugs*
     
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  6. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    Besides Farmers Almanac, I have learned to watch my Dogs close! If they start packing on the fat, and the fur starts getting thick, chances are good it's going to be a cold winter. I also know the berries are a good tip off for a snowy winter. I hadn't heard of the trees "keeping leaves" I always assumed that if they all fell off in just a day or three, that meant it was going to be a bad winter! In Orygun, if it started to rain On or just after Oct 12th, it would be a normal cold and wet winter, it it started a week or two earlier, it usually meant Snows and or Ice. If you got a cold snap before the end of October, you would get Ice later on, and while rare, snow around Thanksgiving! Oregon has not has a good Ice storm in YEARS, and when it does come, it's going to be Very Nasty for you guys up there, all the trees have weekend from not having ice or heavy snows like you used to get, and when you do finally get a good storm, Every thing is going to come crashing down!
     
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  7. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    @Yard Dart, didn't it start raining in Washington last week?
     
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  8. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Been tracking a few years 20 seeds every October. 2013/2014 (12) Knives (2) forks (6) Spoons And in most circles knives mean cutting winds :) And the winter of 2013/2014 was just that. 2014/2015 (7) knives (13) Spoons (0) Forks And it was a heavy snow winter that just would not end. 2015/2016 (17) Knives (1) Spoon (2) Forks Brand new green house launched 50 feet straight up and landed upside down 500 feet away when the wind got under it. High corner of the high tunnel ripped in 80-90mph gust and it popped like a big balloon bending and twisting the 300' of U channel that holds the film down and on. This year 2016/2017 (7) Knives (8) Spoons (5) Forks Old time up the road says it means winter is going to be all over the map and crazy this year. Real or Myth? who knows but it is fun to mess with and look back and see how it played out :) For actual predictions I go more by how heavy or light the crop is. Which I guess would be the same as the berries since Persimmons are a Berry and not a Fruit. Every year there has been a limb sagging crop it has been a long gold winter with either a lot of snow or ice.
     
  9. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    And so, did I miss something or did you make your prediction? Sag, not sag, dat's de kweschun.
     
  10. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    We have had a bunch of rain and Temps are in the 30's at night. We have 2 days of sun right now and then back to rain for a week or so.
     
  11. Seepalaces

    Seepalaces Monkey+++

    I wish you would put that in a spreadsheet. It would be cool to judge the old wives tales next to the outcomes.
     
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  12. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    7-8-5 According the old timer up the road locally we will get hit with everything about equally. Going by the crop I will go with a long cold winter. The good news is I will have plenty of persimmons this year to make our Persimmon/Cinnamon (PerCinnamon) Jelly, last years crop sucked and only made 500 pints :( I predict 5000+ pints this year :)
     
  13. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    I just write it all down in different Homestead/Farm Journals :) I am technologically impaired.
     
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  14. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    From the signs of winter that I listed in the opening post, I have no clue. We have had mice invading since July and an abnormal amount of pine cones. Not big ones but lots of them and the squirrels have been eating away.
     
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  15. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    Up here in the NW the weather has changed quick. It is getting cold at nights.....
    Waiting to get hit by the remnants of a typhoon later this week....fun. ;)
     
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  16. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    Same here...... Lows in the mid 40's though this close to the ocean.
     
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  17. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    I havn't lived here long enough to really get a read on the weather predictions, but basing my observations of the animals and the fact that my "Pet" Brown Bear ate a really large amount of my berries over a period of a month and a half, I would say we are probably going to be getting a pretty good amount of snow and for a longer period of time then what I have seen and heard from others! The fact that we all ready got several inches of the soft and fluffy white stuff reinforces this theory. My Bear went and dug out a nice little cave for him self about three miles away, and he is checking in on the place and making improvements daily, so according to what I have learned about the bears in this area, it's a bit early for them to be digging in!
     
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  18. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    It just feels to me like a moderately heavy snowfall is coming this year. Cold is always to be expected, no hokus pokus required with that one. The wind is alive, always moving with variance in temperature --no foretelling necessary. Never really had a method, just trust my instinct.
     
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  19. Sgt Nambu

    Sgt Nambu RIP 4/19/2018

    You're right about those ice storms. I live just west of the mouth of the Colombia River Gorge! It's like an ice storm shotgun, point blank range, pointed at our house!
    We keep serious cold weather gear, crampons, real chains for my Dodge PU (4 chains), rock salt, on and on. A few years ago I lost power for five days in an ice storm (freezing rain). Drove the wife and kid to my moms, then came back to do a chill while keeping the pipes from freezing. It was ok, I was well equipped, plus I spent two winters on the DMZ in Korea! Pretty good cold weather training! :)

    I learned a certain amount of weather lore from my grandpa when I was little, but that old dairy farmer owned a good barometer! ;) So do I! I do watch the birds for signs, I'm feeding the little loafers, anyway!
    The Dark Eyed Juncos winter in this area, after breeding in the north, and they've been here a while now! Pretty early! I trust them more than meteorologists! :D
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2016
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  20. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    We are looking at 60+ on the coast and 55 mph winds inland tomorrow with heavy rain. Most of our power lines are overhead and heavily wooded around here....so power outages for the next three days are almost a given!!
     
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