Living a deliberate life deepens our connection to nature, making us prone to its intricate changes not only through the seasons but during a single day too. I was surprised to learn in a recent talk with an elderly couple living in a village (i.e. close to nature) that they knew next to nothing about reading nature's signs and forecasting weather. This made me wonder why I, the city kid knew that when sparrows bathe in the sand it means that it will rain. Or that when birds are flying low the pressure is low as well.
Apart from some basic cloud-watching and air-smelling skills though, I don't have much more to offer but I found a very rich infographic about how to forecast weather without gadgets that brings out an array of curious methods.
Two weeks ago we witnessed a crazy sunset in Southern Norway that made us stop the car while driving back home. You cannot simply drive under an intensely red sky that is reflecting in the calm red ocean, can you? You need to quiet down and in turn reflect on this extraordinary beauty. alas, i don't have an actual photo to show you but it looked something like this only way much more intense and bright, and without a single cloud.
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| Photo: kanelstrand |
Unlike many doomsday aficionados professing the world's terrible end in 2012 we didn't worry at all and thankfully, because I found a very common explanation of the stunning phenomenon:
If you see red sky during sunset looking to the west there is a high pressure system with dry air that is stirring dust particles in the air, causing the sky to look red. The dry air is heading towards you.
See? Plain high pressure combined with dry air! Long live watchful eyes and science! The world is saved!
Read on to learn even more on how to get by perfectly well without weather forecasting gadgets.
Do you have a secret way to forecast weather? Share it with us in the comments!
When I was a kid, I learned the saying "Red sky at night, sailor's delight" (and its counterpart, "red sky in morning, sailors take warning") from my grandpa, who loved to be on the water. Thank you for explaining the scientific reason behind the saying. Despite being very interested in science, I never thought to research this!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Lyndsey! I too had great time learning and remembering things from my childhood.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I never watch the weather. When the kids say, I'm turning on the tv for the weather, I tell them to go outside! Then again, I don't watch the daily news either. Who needs it? I'm getting excited about all the fun posts coming our way in February!
ReplyDeleteYou are just so clever! I never know what is going on with the weather. Here in the US/Midwest - every day is different. I do know the smell of rain and love it when that smell comes. I also finally got the snow I was looking for although I had no idea it was coming!
ReplyDeleteHave a super day - Brandi
This is fascinating. Weather can be so unpredictable and bizarre at times, which makes some people automatically fear the worst (actually, that's true of anything people can't control). I love to gaze at the sky and take photos too. It clears your mind, I think, if only for a second. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are right about people fearing the worst. I would add that they do fear and condemn anything they can't control or don't understand. I love the sky photos you post sometimes.
DeleteThis is so cool! My Bubby dog used to start pacing an hour or two before it rained. He was my weather man! It's amazing how much animals and nature can give us subtle signs about the forecast. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI love this post so much, weather is the way my family and I stay connected when the many miles between us seem far.
ReplyDeleteSonya, I just saw on the news that there was a solar flare up that interfered with satellites and caused other disturbances, but also caused amazing northern lights in the sky. They said the light show could be seen all the way to Norway; did you see anything?
ReplyDeleteWe tried but alas the sky was overcast so we didn't see anything!
DeleteWell, Sonya, I am relieved that you managed to save the world, and enjoy an amazing sunset to boot. Lucky you. :) Several years ago the girls and I did a unit on weather and learned about some pretty cool things. I liked finally having an explanation for rainbows that I understood. :)I don't know much about forecasting the weather though, probably because it doesn't really affect me too, too much. The weather is well, the weather. Mother Nature does what she wants, I can deal with that. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this so much. My grandmother was excellent at these. She was a small town gardener lady and she knew them all and then some. She used to quiz me on them because it was important to keep the food growing well in the garden. Wish she was still around b/c I've forgotten some of them. The cows and cats I know about. Another she used to say is,"Bubbles in the coffee cup move to the sides of the cup before a rain." I think I got that right, Please let me know if not. Of cause, that was before the days of fancy coffees so not sure if it's still true.
ReplyDeleteYour grandmother did well to teach you, that gives you independence that not many of us can boast with. And the coffee bubbles sound great to me, I am going to observe their behavior nest time someone around me drinks coffee because unfortunately I don't! Thank you for stopping by!
DeleteCan you tell me where you got the poster about forcasting weather in your post? I'd like to get one if it's available as such.
ReplyDeleteSure! if you hover with the pointer above the infographic, you will see three blue squares in the upper left corner. Click on the first one saying INFO. It will lead you straight to the source: http://visual.ly/how-forecast-weather-without-gadgets
DeleteThanks very much.
ReplyDeleteThis is how I remember. Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors warning. Works every time..if it is partially red we have part cloudy or rain part of the day 9or night) It is amazing..My grandfather built and sailed sail boats...
ReplyDeleteBoat people are smart people, that's something I've noticed. They just have so much more experience than land people! It could be because of the long conversations with the sea.
DeleteThanks for this great info since I can't rely on my own methods anymore. I used to be able to tell when it was going to rain or when it was going to get really cold by how my bones felt but not anymore because now, according to my bones, it should be raining or below freezing darn near every day now and the storms only get more intense as I get older! It's about time I find other ways to forecast the weather because I've missed out on way to much, thinking it was going to rain or be to cold to be outside. My family is going to love you!!! ;o)
ReplyDelete~Tanya
Very cool!! Little tips and tricks like that can be such fun. I love the turtle fact; next time I see a turtle on the road I'll take note of it and see if it rains!!
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love that chart full of lots of great info. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteValerie
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