Signs a storm is coming

One part of the sky looked gray and ominous while the the rest of the sky was bright and blue. In general it was a mostly sunny, pleasant day with a brisk breeze that felt good on my cheeks.

You probably should know that I'm an "outdoors" kind of girl. We went to the beach to stretch our legs with a quick walk and to take in the crisp salty air. The picture above is of my 2 boys. My 2 girls weren't there today. Nana & Grandpa were there but my ol' camera's battery died right after I took this shot of a lonely gull. I would have taken pics of the crowds he left behind.

Anyway...my reason for telling you this is when we got down to the beach the seagulls were congregating in large numbers. They lined themselves up on the sand and in the center of the parking lot. Grandpa says that means a storm is coming. Hmmm guess I better add that idiom to the other weird & wonderful weather folklore I've heard of like---

1. Red skies at night, sailors delight.

Red skies in morning , sailors take warning.

2. When the leaves of trees start turning over ---

it's going to rain.

3. A circle around the moon means rain is coming soon.

4. When the clouds look like a herd of sheep it's going to snow.

I wonder how many meterologists pay attention to the signs that nature gives us.

One summer afternoon my husband came home for lunch. Instead of me staying and having lunch with him, I stepped outside to the garden. The baby was taking a nap and I was thrilled to see that I could have a little break of my own. I started yanking out weeds and wishing I had hours instead of minutes to spare. The mosquitos were biting that afternoon. I remember slapping them off me and looking upto the sky for sun. All of a sudden the sky looked like rain. I went in and announced "IT'S GOING TO RAIN ANY MINUTE!" I grabbed a long sleeve shirt and went heading back out. He so smartlyand so matter-of-factly calls back ... "No Elaine it's not going to rain I'm watching the weather channel right now and there's no rain in sight."

huh? I don't get it ...I insisted he come outside with me and see the clouds. He doesn't budge from his lazyboy and clicker .. just laughs and says so confidently "I was out there 20 minutes ago!" Well....I'm sure that you've guessed by now that it did in fact rain. And it wasn't just a sprinkle either. It was a downright downpour!

I came in with my hair and clothes dripping wet...I went to change and he says... I guess you were right. I didn't even reply. He had to get back to work and not long after he left the sun came out strong again. So another way of telling the weather is look over your head!

I went to google and got a list of those weather folktales to share--

you decide if they're true.

5. When you see birds flying close to the ground this usually means that rain will come soon. When seagulls fly to land, a storm is at hand.

Remember the following: Seagull, seagull sit on the sand It's never good weather while you're on land

6. If a cow moos three times in a row, rain will come soon.

7. Wide brown bands on a woolly bear caterpillar mean a mild winter.

8. When you see bees out flying, there will be good weather. But when they stay close to their beehive, a rainstorm is coming. Bees never swarm before a storm.

9. Keep an eye out for anthills. Ants always cover their entrance to their home when a storm is approaching.

10. Look out for clouds. The higher they are in the sky, the better the weather. The more types of clouds in the sky, the greater the chance of upcoming rain or snow.

11. When smoke floats towards the ground you can bet that a storm will soon come. Keep your eye out for toadstools and mushrooms. Usually when they spring overnight a storm is coming.

<3~elaine