Grayce P. Storey
Over the years man has used many devices or techniques to predict weather. Weather watching is considered to have been one of the earliest past-times. Early Greeks believed that the god Thor caused thunder and lightening. They believed that Thor rod through the heavens striking clouds with a huge hammer making loud noises and causing sparks to fly. Folklore was one of the early methods used to predict weather. Traditionally it was believed that if the groundhog saw his shadow there would be six more weeks of bad weather. Groundhog Day, February 2nd, is the day this observation is suppose to take place. The American Indians believed that rain dancing while chanting would cause rain. Weather lore such as:
Red sky at night shepherd’s delight Red sky at morning, shepherd’s warning.
Such weather lore is interesting to listen to, but it is better to rely on science for accurate forecasts. However, there are some weather rhymes and rules that are reliable:
Rain before seven Fine before eleven.
Rain belts usually last about four hours in the summer.
The moon and the weather May change together, But a change of the moon Does not change the weather.
The moon’s appearance is useful in predicting rain. Present in rain clouds are ice crystals that produce a halo around the moon.
Today we use more sophisticated technology. The ability to quickly collect weather data from many surrounding areas make it possible to give more accurate weather forecast.
