The Rural Voice, 1999-03, Page 45Book Review
Why those weather sayings work
Reviewed by Keith Roulston
Next to the Farmers' Almanac's
weather predictions, nothing can
divide people more than some of the
old sayings about weather. Some are
surprisingly accurate, some are just
plain dumb. In Never Sell Your lien
on a Rainy Day: Weather Signs,
Rhymes and Reasons, Shirley Byers
Lalonde explains the scientific
reasons why many weather proverbs
actually work.
From farmers to fishermen, rural
people know life and livelihood can
depend on the weather so it was
natural that people paid close
attention to weather happenings.
Because many couldn't write, they
created rhymes or sayings to help
them remember: such as "Red sky at
night, sailor's delight. Red sky in
morning, sailor take warning."
But for many of these
observations, such as the one above,
there were sound scientific reasons.
For instance, since most weather in
the northern hemisphere moves from
west to east, a red sky at night means
the weather is likely to be good the
next day. The red sky is caused by
the sun's reflection on minute
particles in the air. If that happens
it's an indication no clouds are
forming and the next day will be
clear. A red sky is more likely to
happen in the morning when drier,
clearer air is moving to the east in
advance of a low pressure system
which will bring rain from the west.
Lalonde, who consulted
Environment Canada weather
scientists as well as several books
comes up with interesting reasons
why many of these short-term
forecasts are Likely to work. Perh' p
the most fascinating is the first
chapter on how the behaviour of
birds and animals can foretell the
weather. For instance, she says, birds
have extremely sensitive hearing and
can hear a thunderstorm long before
humans. Because of their hollow
feathers, they are also sensitive to
changes in air pressure.
The rhyme "Geese high, fair sky"
is based on the fact birds seek the
densest air which provides extra lift
to their wings. On fair, high pressure
days the optimum level may be
thousands of feet in the air. On the
other hand on low pressure days, the
thickest air is close to the ground.
Smaller birds may vary their
altitude looking for lunch. If there's
moisture in the air from a low
pressure system, it condenses on the
bodies and wings of tiny insects like
mosquitoes. They fly lower seeking
relief from the drag on their wings
and fly -catching birds like swallows,
follow them down to eat them.
Similarly, there are reasons why
bees fly far from the hive in good
weather but stay close to home when
air pressure is low and why they
won't swarm in rainy weather. And
while you may not bring on rain by
stepping on a spider, there may be
reasons you are more likely to step
on a spider before a rainstorm.
Similar observations on plants and
on the way sound travels make this a
lively book.
But while Lalonde finds
evidence to back many of these
short-term weather indicators, I'm
afraid if you're one of those who
predicts the severity of the upcoming
winter by the width of the bands on
the wooly bear caterpillar, she
doesn't find a lot to support your
conclusions. Most of these
predictions depend on the !aw of
averages, not the ability of insects,
animals and plants to predict the
weather, she says. For instance, if the
mountain ash produces a huge crop
of berries, it's probably because of
perfect summer growing conditions
and since weather averages out, that
may mean a severe winter.
It's a slim book at only 64 pages
but nearly every page has some
fascinating tidbit you'll want to share
with a friend.°
Never Sell Your lien on a Rainy Day
— Weather Signs, Rhymes and
Reasons by Shirley Byers Lalonde,
Sandhi!! Publishing Ltd. 64 pages.
$8.95.
First Class
Cooling!
Mueller distributors know the
ultimate measure of a
cooler's worth is its
performance. The
HiPerForm refrigeration
system, pat�nted
Temp -Plate R Heat
Transfer Surface,
electronic controls, safety
features, and superior
automatic cleaning system
assure you of first class
performance.
24 Hour Service
Buchanan and Hall Ltd.
615 Huron Road, Stratford, Ontario
271-4793
MARCH 1999 41