Dear Weather Watcher,
Are the old maxims true? “If birds be silent, expect thunder.” “If spiders build new webs, the weather will be clear.” “Bees will not swarm / Before a near storm.” They certainly sound good. But is there any truth to the idea that animals can predict the weather?
There may just be. Although some of the forecasting abilities of animals are pure superstition, it is true that animals do respond to changes in weather conditions such as barometric pressure and temperature. Birds are especially sensitive to these shifts, which might explain why you can expect a storm if you see them acting restlessly and perching in bushes in the middle of the day. Bees, it is said, will store unusually large stocks of honey in the fall before a hard winter.
At the risk of delivering disappointing news, though, we should note that there is no evidence that cows lie down before a storm. |
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| Can The Landscape Predict The Weather? | Animals and insects don’t get exclusive rights to folklore and weather predictions. Trees, forests, and mountains have their fair share of weather wisdom, too.
“If the ash is out before the oak, / You may expect a thorough soak.” “The whispering grove tells of a storm to come.”
And mountains? Some can affect not just local, but also global weather. Mount Saint Helens and Mount Vesuvius are two examples of stratovolcanoes, steep-sided conical mountains created by periodic eruptions that leave layers of hardened lava, ash, pumice, and tephra. When these volcanoes erupt, they can eject gases as high as the stratosphere, where particles can travel the globe. These sulfur-rich gases react with moisture in the atmosphere to form tiny droplets of sulfuric acid, which, along with ash particles, form a haze that can reduce sunlight and cool temperatures worldwide. | | | | The Weather Can Predict The Weather? | If bees, birds, and bombastic mountains can predict weather, why can’t the weather predict itself? “Red lightning foretells a dry spell.” “A warm, dry August is the forerunner of a long, snowy winter.” Using a barometer may be a slightly more scientific way to make weather predictions, although it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily.
At sea level, a barometer reading between 30.00 and 30.20 inches and falling rapidly, with winds blowing from south to east, indicates warmer weather and rain within 24 hours. If the barometer is 29.80 or below and falling rapidly, with the same south-to-east winds, a severe storm is imminent (or, in winter, you can expect snow or a cold wave within 24 hours).
Westerly winds and a steady barometer reading of 30.00 to 30.20 indicates fair weather, with minimal temperature changes over the next day or two. | | Predicting The Weather With The Moon | Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re known for, and take pride in, our annual weather predictions. Because we publish our predictions months in advance, we have to count on a bit more than the behavior of bees or the barometric pressure. We rely primarily on solar activity for our long-range predictions, but we also take lunar phases into consideration.
We began publishing “A Table Foretelling the Weather Through All the Lunations of Each Year, or Forever” in 1834. The table is the result of many years of actual observation and shows what sort of weather will probably follow the Moon’s entrance into any of its quarters.
For instance, if the Moon is entering into its first quarter between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., you can expect fair weather that week. If the change into a new quarter comes between 2 a.m. and and 4 a.m., look for a week of frequent showers or snow (depending on the season).
You can get the full table in the 2019 Almanac (which comes as part of your charter membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club), and you can track and test our predictions, your own, or those of your favorite weather forecasters with your own Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook. This weatherproof notebook has room to record the daily weather for 4 years and is packed with daily weather proverbs, detailed weather facts, and gorgeous color weather photos.
Get the resources you need to be the local weather expert, along with useful information, wit, and wisdom with an Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership! |
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| Special Charter Membership Invitation - 60% OFF
The Old Farmer's Almanac Weather Club! |
|
Celebrate the wonders of the weather with the perfect tools!
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With your Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership, you get everything you need to be ready for any weather, including The Old Farmer’s Almanac, our Weather Notebook, 2019 Weather Watcher’s Wall Calendar, and The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA!, our monthly digital magazine that includes articles on weather, gardening, and other content not found in the print edition. It’s a great way to keep up-to-date on Almanacky topics throughout the year.
With a Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership, you’ll learn more about:
How to measure the windchill, and why the wind makes the air feel colder than it really is How to measure wind speed using only your own powers of observation The expected weather in your part of the country for each month of the year Our method for predicting the weather since 1792 (and how accurate we’ve been) The Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific storm names for this year, plus the names that have been retired |
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| Get your Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club today—with resources to make your weather watching more enjoyable. From sunrise to moonrise, blizzard to summer breeze, you’ll enjoy each day a little more with these fabulous weather resources! | With your Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership, you get everything you need to be ready for any weather:
Weather Notebook: Whether you like to get right into the heart of the storm or you’d rather watch the weather from the comfort of your favorite chair, this notebook is the perfect place to log the daily weather. There’s space for you to record the weather essentials, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and more. With room for 4 years of daily observations, over time you’ll be able to track—and even predict—local weather conditions. 2019 Weather Watcher’s Wall Calendar: Mother Nature puts on spectacular shows around the world, and we’ve captured some of the most amazing weather moments for you in our 10-7/8" x 16-3/4" Weather Watcher’s Calendar. From northern lights in Norway to a dramatic dust storm in Africa, each month of our Weather Watcher’s Calendar will bring you a stunning new photo. Each month also features a key event in history, from freezing rivers to crippling blizzards to the unusual sighting of a blue Sun. The “Ask the Old Farmer” section gives you detailed answers about unusual weather phenomena. The information sidebar gives you a little poem that summarizes the essence of each month. The Old Farmer’s Almanac: This special softcover edition of the 2019 Almanac has a hole drilled in the corner for easy hanging. (In the old days, people would hang it in the outhouse.) Just like its hardcover partner, the Almanac is packed with the tips, trivia, and insights that make it a family favorite. The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! Our monthly digital magazine includes articles on weather, gardening, and other content not found in the print edition. It’s a great way to keep up-to-date on Almanacky topics throughout the year. |
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| Special Charter Membership Invitation - 60% OFF
The Old Farmer's Almanac Weather Club! |
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Celebrate the wonders of the weather with the perfect tools!
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| An Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership will deliver exciting rewards for you—and at a special introductory rate, right now, for all new Charter Members. | When you claim your Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership today, you’ll enjoy these benefits and more:
Know your snow. There’s more to snowflakes than meets the eye, and you’ll become an expert at identifying snow crystals—and you can use that knowledge to predict your local weather. Explore extreme weather. Read the stories behind wild weather occurrences, including tornados, lightning, dust storms, and more. Share weather wisdom. Some weather proverbs have endured for a reason. Save your favorite weather sayings for a rainy day—or any time you want to share them. Predict and plan. Use the handy Moon, tide, and weather guides throughout the year to help you map out your activities.
How can you not consider becoming an Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Member? | | What You’ll Get With an Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership | There’s so much weather knowledge to gain as a Charter Member of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club:
Each day brings its own weather gifts, and you can keep track of them as you log your observations in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook. This handy notebook is chock-full of weather facts and has space for you to chronicle the weather day by day for 4 years!
This weather notebook makes taking observations a pleasure:
Space to record daily temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and special weather conditions Packed with reference charts and beautiful weather photos A new weather proverb for each day Weatherproof softcover binding Attached red ribbon marker so that you never lose your place
As you watch the days pass from season to season, enjoy the vibrant photography in our Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Watcher’s Calendar. This compact calendar is the perfect size to fit on the wall in your kitchen or den or right by your office window. Each month features fabulous photographs of Mother Nature at her best—intense, peaceful, spectacular.
Get additional weather insight each month with the “Ask the Old Farmer” section, where you’ll find detailed answers to questions about weather topics ranging from the effects of erupting volcanos to the color of lightning. You’ll love the photography, proverbs, and weather lore in our 2019 Weather Watcher’s Wall Calendar!
In the convenient, hangable, softcover edition of the 2019 Almanac, you’ll find a section dedicated to the weather: predictions, history, tips, and trivia. The weather outlook for the entire country is there at your fingertips—just check out your region for a month-by-month breakdown of what you can expect. You’ll be prepared for anything!
Here’s a taste of some of the weather information that you’ll find in the 2019 Almanac:
Check our accuracy (we do) with a comparison of last year’s predictions against the actual data. Focus on your home base with detailed weather predictions month by month—including a handy temperature/precipitation chart to give you an overview of the year. See how we use the Sun and Moon in our weather predictions. Safety first: Learn how thick the ice must be before you venture out onto the pond or lake. Be ready for severe heat and cold with our handy heat index and windchill table. Don’t have a weather station of your own? Follow our tips for measuring weather features like hail size and wind speed. Just in case, we have guidelines for measuring the strength of earthquakes and tornados. Be ready for hurricane season with the list of hurricane names for 2019 for both the Atlantic and Pacific and review the list of hurricane names retired from the rotation because of their strength and destructiveness.
And because we know that things change, each month you’ll get new articles and original content with our digital magazine, The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! It’s a treasure trove of Almanac information that you won’t find in the printed edition, including audio and video content. EXTRA! leads you to some interactive fun when you’re ready for a change of pace.
And all of this is available to you—right now—when you claim your Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership. |
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| Special Charter Membership Invitation - 60% OFF
The Old Farmer's Almanac Weather Club! |
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Celebrate the wonders of the weather with the perfect tools!
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| What are you waiting for? Become a Charter Member of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club today! | | No other Almanac has so many fun and fascinating facts, timely and accurate events and predictions, and topical and useful articles all in one place for your easy access and use—and covering more regions of North America than any other Almanac or resource! Add The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook, The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Watcher’s Calendar, The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA!, and you’ll be ready for any weather, fair or foul! | | Why Not Join Right Now? | | Weather watchers everywhere have been using The Old Farmer’s Almanac for years to help keep an eye on the weather, and now The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership offers you an impressive set of weather watching resources all in one place! |
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60%-OFF Charter Offer for You—Join Today!
When you respond today, you’ll be among a select group of Almanac friends to take advantage of this special Weather Club Charter Membership offer.
With your Charter Membership, you’ll receive The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook, the 2019 Weather Watcher’s Calendar, the 2019 Old Farmer’s Almanac, and a subscription to our monthly digital magazine, The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA!
Rain or snow, heat or cold, be ready for any weather—with this incredible deal!
This is a limited-time offer that you should take advantage of right now. |
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When we first created the Weather Club, we wanted to make it easy to use, easy to order, and packed with valuable weather-related content that you could put to use right away. Be the best weather watcher you can be with your Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Membership.
Sincerely,
Janice Stillman
Editor
The Old Farmer’s Almanac
P.S. Why not be among the first to join us today and benefit from the valuable Almanac weather information that you can’t get anywhere else? Become an Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Club Charter Member today—while this special offer lasts! |
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| Special Charter Membership Invitation - 60% OFF
The Old Farmer's Almanac Weather Club! |
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Celebrate the wonders of the weather with the perfect tools!
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