Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, November 30, 2009
(UNDATED) - Weather proverbs have been around for thousands of years, passing from sailors to farmers and on to city folks.
Most proverbs persist despite a dubious track record of accuracy.
But some of mother nature's weather cues do provide a short-term forecast for a specific area.
They are the tales that express a strong cause-and-effect relationship between science and nature.
Janice Stillman, Editor of the Old Farmers Almanac, says the Wooly Worm, who is often seen trying to cross the road, is a good winter weather forecaster.
The wider the middle brown section of the Wooly Worm, the milder the winter.
A narrow brown band on the worm predicts a harsh winter.
She also says the colors displayed by a drying breastbone from a cooked goose is another indicator of winter's severity and so are the shapes of the kernels inside a persimmon.
But Stillman says the best proverb the Farmer's Almanac got was a letter that went into great detail about predicting the weather by watching a dog who is left outside.
The letter stated that for the best accuracy, the dog should be left out all the time.
The letter was signed by, "The Cat".
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