Summer has made its entrance in large parts of the country, while there is snow in some places. Can the weather that is now, and that has been, give us a clue as to what the rest of the summer will be like? Does snow in the air on April 16 and rain on July 2 matter? And does it help to see which way the cows move and how many rowan berries there are, or is it better to hope for a red sky? State meteorologist John Smits believes many weather signs are just bad weather, but not all. – In some of them there is a lot of good meteorology. Sheep’s behavior can give a clue as to what the weather will be like. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news The weather on specific dates Many weather signs are linked to specific dates, such as: If it is over 25 degrees Celsius on the summer solstice, it will be a hot summer. If it rains on 2 July, it will rain a lot for the rest of the summer. A lot of snow in the air on April 16 can mean a summer with just as many flies and gnats. If there is frost on the night of April 4, there will be frost for 40 nights. These believe the state meteorologist is pure superstition. – There is very little, or no hold in such “how the weather is one day, it will … be like that”, says Smits. The meteorologist believes that such myths may stem from the fact that it once happened to be as the myth says. – Maybe something else also happened at the same time that made people remember it. And then it has been included in an oral transmission without really knowing the reason. Smits is aware that the weather on specific dates only says something about how the weather is now, but not how it will be. June 21 is the brightest day of the year. It is often said that the sun turns on the summer solstice. But what the weather is like on this day has little to do with the rest of the summer, according to Smits. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB scanpix Nevertheless, there are perhaps some dates, or times of the year, when you can predict a little further into the future. – When we get to the end of July, in a way the atmosphere has made its choice for the summer, says Smits. – So the weather you have in the last third of July is often the same weather you have well into August. The same applies at the end of January. Then the weather tends to stay the same for a while into February. – We see that there is at least one whose excess frequency. But there is not a good enough connection for us to use it in a notification context. Sometimes it rings true, but other times it doesn’t. Animal behavior Perhaps it is better to look at the animals’ behavior to know what the weather will be like? You may have heard that if the cows move towards the mountains, the weather will be good. But if they search for the home field, it will be stormy weather. – That is actually true, or at least gives some good indications, says Smits. He explains that animals such as sheep and cows have certain senses that make them instinctively react to certain developments in the weather, and adapt accordingly. – I have quite a few sheep that walk around my cottage in Valdres. It is quite clear that they feel something, because they like to stay close to where they can find shelter when the weather turns bad, says Smits. – If the sheep move all the way down to the village in early autumn, it may be that there will be bad weather. Perhaps the first snowfall could be underway. The meteorologist has a little less faith that the spider spins when good weather is expected, but rather believes that the spider spins when the weather is good for practical reasons. John Smits believes it is a myth that the spider only spins when the weather is good. Photo: Tor Beisvåg Then he has more faith that the swallows fly high when the weather is good, but low when the weather is bad. – Yes, it has something to do with it. The swallows fly for their food, and the food is usually insects. When the weather is calm and fine, these insects may fly a little high, and then the swallows follow, says Smits. Nevertheless, he believes it is important to take a caveat when it comes to this weather sign, because the insects do not usually fly that high at night regardless of the weather. – So if you see a swallow early in the morning or late in the evening, it is not certain that it is flying very high, because then the insects are not very high either, says Smits. Keeping an eye on where the cows move can be a good indicator of what the weather will be like. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news Berries, plants and trees Can berries, plants and trees give us a clue as to what the weather will be like in the future? Will it be a good summer if there are a lot of rowan berries or cones in the trees, and a bad one if there are few? – There is no connection at all, says the state meteorologist. – You can perhaps say something about how the weather has been, but not how it will be. He says trees and berries follow natural cycles, which vary from year to year. – In addition, it is often controlled by how the weather was in the previous growing season, i.e. last summer. A lot or a little rowanberry has no connection with what the weather will be like, according to the state meteorologist. Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news Signs in nature If berries and trees are not particularly helpful, are there other things in nature that we can look for? When the sun goes down, does she rise in a stream? Evening red makes the morning soft? When the shutter settles in the valley floor, will it be a good day? Ring around the moon warning of a change in weather? The state meteorologist has more faith in these weather signs. – Here there is a bit more hold in some, because now we are not talking about a long-term forecast or a seasonal forecast. Now we are talking about weather forecasts for the next few hours or 24 hours, and then there are many more signs in nature to look at, says Smits. According to the meteorologist, the weather in Norway often comes from the west. So it’s not so bad to follow along when the sun goes down. – If there are a lot of clouds to the west in the evening, it could be part of a larger low pressure and cloud system that lies further to the west and is heading towards us, says Smits. – Then the probability is relatively high that it may be quite cloudy the next morning as well. It may also rain, but this is not always the case. Because sometimes the weather can come from other directions, and then the weather sign can deceive you. But if the weather comes from the west, a red sunset can be good news. – This means that there are few clouds far to the west. Then the probability of fine weather and few clouds in the morning is high. When there is a red sunset, it can mean that good weather is coming from the west. Photo: Sara Johannessen Meek / NTB According to the meteorologist, a ring around the moon can be a sign that something is going on, and that a low pressure is approaching. Clouds or fog that settles in the valley floor or low-lying areas at night can be a good sign. – It is actually a sign that the weather is quite good above that fog. It’s just a matter of removing the fog, and such fog tends to dissolve when the sun comes out, says Smits. The state meteorologist is aware that there are no weather signs that are 100 percent correct every time, but many are correct often enough that they have been passed on from generation to generation. – But there are quite a few signs in nature and in animals that match often enough that it has become a weather sign, and passed on from generation to generation, he says. Smits also believes that the accuracy of the weather signs can vary depending on where you are in the country. – For example, some signs may work well in Western Norway, Trøndelag or in Nordland, but it does not work everywhere, says Smits. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, but maybe two? Photo: Gunnar Nilsen Our body Do you feel it in gout when there is bad weather ahead, or do you get a headache? This, the state meteorologist believes, may have something to do with it, for those who know it firsthand. – Yes, some say they do. I don’t do it. But my wife always gets a headache two days before a strong low pressure arrives from Iceland, for example, says Smits. – So there is clearly someone who knows it. There are certain cycles of change in air pressure and humidity that some people may react to more strongly than others. He believes that more people felt this more on their bodies in the past, but that evolution has gradually meant that fewer and fewer have these senses. – It’s the same as with the animals, they probably feel a bit of the same. But they may have more of those senses intact than we do, says Smits. Do you feel weather changes on your body? Yes, I feel it on my body when there is bad weather ahead! No. I often get in a bad shape or mood when the weather is bad, but not before the weather arrives. Show result
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dates, animals and signs in nature that predict the weather – news Troms and Finnmark
