Weather Forecasting the Country Way

Before we relied on high-tech gadgets to predict the weather, clever country folk were able to tell if there would be rain or shine by observing nature. Learn some traditional techniques and you could find yourself able to make accurate forecasts too – ensuring your camping trips are dry, your nature trails comfortable, and your wild swims just the right kind of wet.

Get back to basics and learn their traditional methods for yourself — and see if they work.

An open pine cone means dry weather’s on its way, a closed one says expect rain.

What does it mean? When the weathers fine, pine cones’ outer scales become drier than the inner parts which causes the cone to open. But when it’s wet, the scales absorb the moisture in the air and swell shut.

Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning.

What does it mean? A red sky at night means the setting sun is sending light through a high concentration of dust particles — indicating a stable air from the west (that’s a lot of jargon for a beautiful day). A red sunrise, however, means that the high-pressure system has passed, and bad weather is brewing.

You’ll know rains coming when the cows lie down.

What does it mean? There are plenty of wild theories as to why this happens, but the simplest is this: when cows sense moisture in the air they will plop down to save themselves a little dry patch of grass.

If the Scarlet Pimpernel opens, fair weather is set to stay.

What does this mean? Known as the “poor man’s weather glass”, this little red flower reacts to the humidity in the air. When it’s sunny it opens and when rain is expected, it closes tightly shut.