Weather Proverbs for Each Month of the Year
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Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out.
according to my family translates to:-
Keep your coat close hand until the May blossom (hawthorn) is in bloom (or the Month of May has ended depending on their mood!)
"A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay. A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon."
I'm counting 2 comments, regarding August's weather as barometer for snow in the next-coming winter. So that leads to me wonder:
1. Is this precipitation we're witnessing?
2. How long is the precipitation process for fog to become snow?
If the answer is precipitation, it means observations by hopinjoe and Susane Shipe are both true - and makes sense as to why it occurs this way.
Observations of August fog and winter have a history in weather lore. We have heard of weather proverbs such as “So many August fogs, so many winter mists.” There is another, though, that says, “A fog in August indicates a severe winter and plenty of snow.” Similarly, as mentioned in the article above, “If the first week in August is unusually long, the winter will be white and long.” Another one says for August 24 (St. Bartholomew’s feast day), “If this day be misty, the morning beginning with a hoar-frost, the cold weather will soon come, and a hard winter.” As to whether this applies to your area, it might be fun to record the fogs in August (with beans, as mentioned by Susan Shipe, is a great idea!) and see how the coming winter shapes up. These weather proverbs are perhaps alluding to larger patterns of weather that tend to come together. The water in the fog in August, though, likely is not forming the snow that develops in a region in later winter months. Water vapor and droplets can travel over great distances, in clouds, from evaporation, in runoff, etc. Some water may stay in the area, while other water might be transported elsewhere, by land (such as streams) or air, or even living creatures. Hope this helps!
the number and heaviness of august fogs can predict how much and how many snowfalls you will get the on coming winter
What will winter be like this coming yr.will it be cold or will we have a warm winter.
Here in the Blue Ridge mountains, part of the Appalachian Mtn Range, every fog in August means a snow in the winter. Folks put a big dried bean in a jar for the big fogs and a small bean for the lesser foggy mornings and then compare beans to snowfalls in the winter!
What a fun ongoing seasonal activity! Do the beans really match up throughout the seasons? How do they compare by the end...?!
Re weather lore personal observations: here in Brenham TX 77833, about 3 weeks ago my husband observed a squirrel attempting to move our neighbor's cotton twine mop. The squirrel was able to transport the mop from the fence where it was hanging to a location of the squirrel's choice. Bob presumed the squirrel was stockpiling a warm home for the winter to come. And goodness the acorns are totally thick here and at our home in Clear Lake area of Houston TX 77059. Also, our pecans are slow in falling from the trees, and the leaves are still healthy on the trees. Our biggest problem in the garden areas right now is abundance of nut grass. Love your emails and the weather lore calendar and info, thank you!
