Summer 2022 is just about over and I don’t know about you, but I am always excited to see the arrival of Autumn. The vibrant colors of the fall foliage are good eye candy! It is about this time of year I tend to wonder what the upcoming winter will be like. I am ready for some cooler air, but not winter.
So, to fill my afternoon with something enjoyable while I wait on Autumn and her cooler air, I thought the time is appropriate for some weather folklore and weather proverbs.
Break away from your computer and take a walk in your backyard. Look at what nature is saying about the upcoming winter. Look for signs.
Acorns that fall heavily means a cold winter is coming. Similarly, a large crop of walnuts means a snowy, cold season. Thick nutshells predict a severe winter. An abundant crop of berries is also a sign of a cold, snowy winter.
Spiders spinning larger than usual cobwebs and/or entering the house in great numbers may mean a rough winter ahead. According to the old folklore, “For every foggy morning in August, it will snow that many days this winter.”
While we might think this will be a simple thing to keep track of, it’s a bit harder than you might think. I have a friend who counted all the fogs in August this year. He resides in western Kentucky and I am excited to see if his first prediction of the number of snow falls in his area will be accurate.
Other predictors pertaining to winter and the month of August include if the first week in August is unusually warm, the coming winter will be snowy and long. If a cold August follows a hot July, it foretells a winter hard and dry.
If squirrels are more active than usual, it’s considered an indication that a severe winter is on its way. And it’s no wonder why. During the autumn and winter season, a squirrel’s main task is gathering nuts and seeds for its storehouse, so if its efforts have noticeably increased, it could only mean he’s preparing for the worst. As the saying goes:
“Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry, Will cause snow to gather in a hurry.”
When squirrels bury their nuts early, it will be a hard winter.
A persimmon’s seeds are thought to foretell the type of winter expected. Carefully cut the seeds open lengthwise. What do you see inside? A spoon-shaped pattern is said to represent a shovel for all of the heavy, wet snow to come. A knife signals a cold, icy winter with cutting winds.
If a fork is visible, it means that a generally mild winter with only light powdery snow can be expected. While it makes no difference if the persimmon is picked or purchased, it must be locally grown otherwise, you’ll be getting results for a region other than your own.
A tough winter is also said to be ahead if: Onions or cornhusks have thicker than normal skins. Leaves fall from the trees late in the year.
The larvae of Isabella tiger moths, more commonly known as wooly worms or wooly bear caterpillars, are easily recognized by their short, stiff bristles of reddish-brown and black hair.
According to legend, the width of the middle brown band foretells the severity of the upcoming winter. If the brown band is narrow, the winter will be cold and long. However, if the band is wide, then the winter will be a mild and short one. Some consider the wooly’s hair thickness to be another indicator, with a thicker coat signaling harsher, and sparse hairs a milder winter season.
What’s more, the wooly has exactly 13 segments to the length of his body, the same number of weeks there are of winter.
A warm November is a sign of a bad winter. Thunder in the fall foretells a cold winter. If animals have an especially thick coat of fur, it will be a cold winter. If fruit trees bloom in the fall, the weather will be severe the following winter.
A cold winter is succeeded by a warm winter and vice versa. If the first snow falls on the unfrozen ground, expect a mild winter. Hornets’ nests built in the tops of trees point to a mild winter.
The first twelve days of the year are thought to foretell the weather for each of the next twelve months. The variant is the 12 days from new Christmas (Dec. 25) to the old Christmas (Jan. 5) determine the weather.
If an owl hoots on the east side of a mountain it denotes bad weather.
The main thing is: this winter, and every day, stay warm and safe and spread winter cheer!
