My Kinfolks of KY and Beyond Story Tellers Pg 4

MY KINFOLKS OF KY & BEYOND
STORY TELLERS
Page 4

Predicting Weather
by: Kim Jones Dean
(To send Kim an e-mail, click on her name.)
June 26, 2005

Past generations used the Farmer's Almanac, animals and nature to predict weather patterns. They also used weather and nature when planting their gardens, harvesting and slaughtering animals.

My Grandpa Presley had a saying for predicting weather:

Evening red and morning grey sends a traveler on his way.
Evening grey and morning red sends raindrops upon his head.

This comes from the Bible, Matthew 16 1-4.

"When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather for the sky is red.

(3) And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day; for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

(4) A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas."

There are many more examples of how our ancesters used the Farmer's Almanac, weather, nature and animals in their day to day lives. They also had names for the different types of winters. If you know of any more predictions or names for various winters, springs, summers or falls, please let me know.

When the moon is out during the day, within seven days there will be bad weather.
When a Maple tree has its leaves turned so that you can see the bottoms of the leaves, it is going to rain.
When it rains and the sun is shining, it is going to rain the next day at the same time.
If a wooly worm is brown at both ends and orange in the middle, the winter will be mild. However, if he is black in the front, expect bad weather.
If the wooly worm is light at both ends and black in the middle, the beginning and end of winter will be mild and bad in mid-winter. If the wooly worm is black on both ends and light in the middle, the beginning and end of winter will be bad and mild in mid-winter.
It will rain within three days if the horns of the moon are pointing down.
If there is a ring around the moon, count the stars within the ring and it will rain within that many days.
If the sun sets with clouds, you can expect rain.
Blackberry Winter - a spell of cold weather that coincides with the blooming of native blackberry briers.
Dogwood Winter - a cool spell occurring when the dogwood trees are blooming.
Easter Squall - a period of unsettled weather that seems to come most years right about Easter.
Catbird Winter - short bout of cool weather that seems to arrive with the return of the catbirds in the spring.
Laurel Winter - comes with the blooming of native mountain laurel. Some call mountain laurel "ivy", and call rhododendron "laurel".
Snowball winter - a spell of chilly weather when the snowball bush blooms. Snowball bushes are a member of the honeysuckle family and are also called viburnum.

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