Weather myths abound, but we’re confident that these four hold water.
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Transcript:
The whims of the weather have determined the fate of everything from vital crops to conquering armies, so it’s no surprise that weather superstitions abound. We’ve compiled a list of the myths that we’re confident hold water.
Red Sky in Morning, Sailors Take Warning; Red Sky at Night, Sailors Delight: Old European wisdom says that a red sunrise promises storms, while a red sunset means smooth sailing. Or walking, or whatever. And it checks out – at certain latitudes. These colors result from light scattering in a zone of dry, dusty, high-pressure atmosphere – smack between you and the sun.
Now, in the mid-latitudes, like most of North America and Europe, weather tends to move west to east. So a red sunset means a calm zone is about to spend a few hours crossing overhead. But a red sunrise suggests the calm has already passed, and storms could soon move in. Note that around the poles and tropics, weather tends to progress in the opposite direction, so you’d do well to take the opposite advice.
[A Lunar Halo Means Rain:] You may have heard “ring around the moon, rain real soon” or “when a halo rings the moon or sun, rain’s approaching on the run.” Both have the ring of truth about them. Luminous halos that frame the moon and sun are produced by moonlight or sunlight refracting through high, wispy clouds made of ice crystals. These ice crystals typically occur in translucent, sky-spanning cirrostratus clouds. These clouds often move in ahead of weather fronts where temperature differentials force warm air upward, condensing moisture and forming potentially rainy clouds.
[Cows Lie Down When Wet Weather Is on the Way:] Animal behavior has inspired a whole herd of weather superstitions. One claims that cows lie down when rain is coming. Now, cows lie down for a variety of reasons, but this one might have a leg to stand on – due to body heat. Cows tend to stand more often when they’re overheating, so a seated shorthorn could arguably imply cooling weather: aka, a storm a’ brewin’.
Clear Moon, Frost Soon: Clear nights do often mean cold weather’s coming. That’s because, as far as the planet’s concerned, a cloudless sky is like a bed without blankets. During the day, the Earth absorbs sunlight and converts it into heat. When the sun sets, the surface begins radiating that heat back out. Lacking clouds to capture the heat and hold it close, the surface and lower atmosphere grow increasingly cold.
That’s all we have time for today, but to learn more, like how you can use cricket chirps as thermometers, check out 10 Scientifically Sound Weather Superstitions on HowStuffWorks.com. And hey, did you like this video? Make it official, and subscribe so you won’t miss the next one.
