How to Tell What Winter Will be Like According to the Farmer’s Almanac

It may be hard to remember, or even harder for your kids to believe, but there was a time when we couldn’t always use the apps on our smartphone to check the hour by hour forecast for the day.  In fact, there was even a time before needing to wait for the local weather forecast to come on the news.  Before all of this weather and forecasting technology, people still wanted and needed to know what a season might hold.  Therefore, the Farmer’s Almanac has posted “20 Signs Of a Hard Winter” written by Peter Geiger that gives us examples of traditional means of predictions. The signs are:

20 Signs Of a Hard Winter-the Farmer’s Almanac

1. Thicker-Than-Normal Corn Husks

2. Woodpeckers Sharing a Tree

3. The Early Arrival of the Snowy owl

4. The Early Departure of Geese and Ducks.

5. The Early Migration of the Monarch butterfly.

6. Thick Hair on the Nape of a Cow’s Neck

7. Heavy and Numerous Fogs During August

8. Raccoons with Thick Tails and Bright Bands

9. Mice Chewing Furiously To Get Into Your Home.

10. The Early Arrival of Crickets on the Hearth.

11. Spiders Spinning Larger-Than-Usual Webs and Entering the House in Great Numbers.

12. Pigs Gathering Sticks.

13. Ants Marching in a Line Rather Than Meandering.

14. Early Seclusion of Bees Within the Hive.

15. Unusual Abundance of Acorns.

16. Muskrats Burrowing Holes High on the River Bank.

17.“See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest.”

18. The Size of the Orange Band on the Woollybear (or Woollyworm) Caterpillar. According to folklore, if the caterpillar’s orange band is narrow, the winter will be snowy; conversely, a wide orange band means a mild winter. All black caterpillars are not Woollybears. And fuzzier-than-normal woollybear caterpillars are said to mean that winter will be very cold.

19. Squirrels Gathering Nuts Early to Fortify Against a Hard Winter.

20. Frequent Halos or Rings Around the Sun or Moon Forecasts Numerous Snowfalls.

(All taken from “20 Signs Of A Hard Winter”)

What do you think?  Have you seen any of these signs–what kind of winter will we have?

Though we aren’t in the weather predicting field, we do know that it is always best to be prepared for cold weather.  Contact us at FLAME Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical to learn about getting your heating system and home ready winter for winter!