Name ______

Weather Folklore (40 points classwork)

Today, meteorologists use lots of complicated equipment such as satellites to forecast weather. Before this equipment was available, people (especially sailors and farmers) had to use the things around them as their weather guides. People used the behavior of animals, birds, plants and looking at the skies to help them determine weather patterns.

Today, people still disagree as to whether these Weather Lore sayings are simply superstition or if they can really help in predicting the weather. You assignment is to pick 6 of the weather lore sayings below and research its meaning and see if it has any scientific validity (truth). There are some websites listed to help you get started.

Weather Lore Sayings:

1.  Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors delight.

2.  When leaves show their underside, be very sure that rain betides. (meaning, it will rain)

3.  Animals can sense a storm first, especially dogs.

4.  Seabirds stay out to see; we won’t have very good weather on land.

5.  If you see cows lying down in pasture, it is going to rain.

6.  My “tooth, knee, hand” hurts so it must mean rain later. (Body aches in general)

7.  Listen to the crickets to calculate temperature

8.  If a spider spins a web in the morning, expect a fair day. If a spider destroys its web, a storm will soon follow

9.  If a groundhog sees his shadow on February 2, we will have six more weeks of winter.

10.  An unusual amount of acorns on the ground means a harsh winter

11.  Count the cricket chirps to tell the temperature.

12.  When the stars begin to huddle, the earth will soon become a puddle

Choose 6 of the above sayings to research, write them in the table below. Use the websites below to help get you started. Do internet searches and find out what the saying means and if there is any scientific truth to it.

6 Weather sayings from above that I will research
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

·  Type your research or write it neatly and attach it to this handout.

Helpful Websites to get you started

http://www.rcn27.dial.pipex.com/cloudsrus/lore.html#humans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_lore

http://www.wxdude.com/proverb.html

http://boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/weather_proverbs.htm

Part 2: The Farmer’s Almanac

The Farmer’s Almanac is a publication that has been around since 1818. Before meteorologist, radar and satellites, people relied on the long term weather predictions in the almanac for planning crops, parades and events. Even with all the modern technology today, many people still use the farmer’s almanac. It is one of the top selling publications of all time.

Do some research online and summarize what the Farmer’s Almanac is all about. Is there any science behind it? Why do you think so many people still rely on it today?

*Type your response or write it neatly and attach to this handout.