Well, it’s that time of year again, when you get the kids dressed up in some scary or cute costumes, and walk around the neighborhood to fill those baskets with candy. For those who do not have children, you typically go out with friends or have some sort of get together where you are also in costume. As there are many myths about Halloween, there are also several myths about the weather. Here is a small list of myths and their explanations.
Look to the stars: this myth states that if you see stars at night, you will wake up with sunlight, but if you do not see stars, otherwise it is cloudy, you will have precipitation in the morning. This is pretty much self-explanatory. If you do not see stars in the sky, there’s a pretty good chance to see showers in the morning. Just remember, though, storm systems do tend to move through fast, so don’t count too much on this myth.
When leaves show their undersides, be very sure that rain betides: this particular myth can be true, depending on the species of tree you are looking at. Poplars are rather good weather forecasters because their leaves react to the sudden changes in humidity.
Animals can sense a storm first, especially dogs: this isn’t necessarily true. Animals do have heightened senses, but they cannot feel or hear a storm more than a few seconds than we can. Dogs do not eat grass because a storm is coming, but more than likely they are eating it because the grass is just there.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning, red sky at night, sailors delight: this myth can be true if you are looking at the sky at the right time. When the sky is red during a sunset, it suggests that there are a lot of dust particles in the sky, which indicates a high pressure system that generally comes with stable air.
Listen to the crickets to check the temperature: this myth is endorsed by the Old Farmer’s Almanac and pretty much works. What you do is count the chirps of a cricket for fourteen seconds and add fourteen to that. Since the weather is turning cold here in North Dakota, the crickets are no longer out, so I will have to try this when Spring comes back.
Now, that you know some of the more popular weather myths and if they are true or not, hopefully your Halloween is going spectacular and is filled with much candy.
Myths and their explanations courtesy of http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-weather-myths-debunked.html