20 Signs of a Hard Winter - Farmers Almanac

[helwen]

Page here: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather_chatter/2008/08/26/20-signs-of-a-hard-winter/ (thx bytchearse)

I've bolded the ones I've seen...

Ok, the Farmers’ Almanac prediction for a Numbingly Cold winter is out, but what are the real experts saying? A wonderful friend of Ray Geiger, ( Cleveland weather guru - Dick Goddard) put together a laundry list of “signs” of nature. We featured these in the 1978 edition and it is still relevant today. here are the 20 Signs of A Hard Winter.


- Thicker than normal corn husks
- Woodpeckers sharing a tree
- Early arrival of the Snowy owl
- Early departure of geese and ducks
- Early migration of the Monarch butterfly (because of some early frosts we had)
- Thick hair on the nape (back) of the cow’s neck
- Heavy and numerous fogs during August
- Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
- Mice eating ravenously into the home
- Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
- Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
- Pigs gathering sticks
- Insects marching a bee line rather than meandering
- Early seclusion of bees within the hive
- Unusual abundance of acorns
- Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river hank
- “See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest”
- Narrow orange band in the middle of the Woollybear caterpillar warns of heavy snow; fat
and fuzzy caterpillars presage bitter cold
- The squirrel gathers nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
- Frequent halos or rings around sun or moon forecast numerous snow falls.

If I remember I'll check in with the beekeeper who comes to the farmers market, and I have an email in to some folks who raise pigs. And keep an eye out for some of the other things on the list.

On the mice, we have cats, so not yet really. But the raccoons kept hitting the feed grain in the barn this year, more than usual I think.

Anyone else?

Comments

[dreda.livejournal.com]

What I want to know is whether or not the massive uptick in bloodthirsty mosquitos this summer has anything to do with the weather patterns. Uck.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes! The more rain there is, the more possible breeding places for mosquitoes. I can't do anything about the pond (which at least has a healthy supply of frogs as well), but all summer as I go about the yard I check for pots, jars, random things around the place and dump out any standing water. All they need is the water in a bottle lid...

[danabren.livejournal.com]

LALALALALALALAAAAA NOT LISTENING NOT LISTENING LALALALALALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[helwen.livejournal.com]

LOL Unfortunately, neither is the weather ;)

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

something (mice or chipmunks) has pulled insulation (what little there is) out from under the sunroom window at the base of the wall outside. I'm going to have to stuff hardware cloth under there

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ah, they're making their nests. Now, if you happen to see a mouse with a tuft of fur at the end of the tail, or its ears are nearly invisible because of the thickness of the fur, we're in for it!

[silverhawkdruid.livejournal.com]

Well, I always understood that if there was an abundance of berries on the bushes, we would be in for a hard winter, and the bushes are bent low with their loads in our area. Also, here in Colchester, the squirrels are already in full acorn-burying mode. My daughter and I were watching them hard at it only last Friday during our health walk. Last night was the first night when it was so cold that I could see my breath, and tonight the first snow is expected in Scotland. I put the heating on today to check it is in full working order, because we were so terribly cold last night without it. I do believe that we are in for a harsh winter, on top of a non-existant and very wet summer. Our elder berries rotted on the bushes in the garden, and I can only assume that it was because it has been so wet for so long.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

I expect the signs vary from place to place, but we do also have a lot of berries this year.

Sorry to hear about the elderberries :( Yes, it's likely because of the prolonged wet weather.

Do you have any rooms you don't need to go into much? Might be worth closing off some of your living space (assuming you can turn off heat for that space), and create a smaller space to live in.

[silverhawkdruid.livejournal.com]

We only have one room we can close off because my eldest only uses it for occasional visits, and that one's radiator can be switched off. The house is pretty small actually, which helps, even though most of the space is used every day.

[gardengirl6.livejournal.com]

Of these, all I've noticed thus far are the abundance of acorns. My neighbor tells me that this particular tree seems to produce them heavily every other year, though. We'll see, I expect!

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

Although I also expect differences because of elevation, microclimes, etc. There are differences even across Ashfield because of the hills (which side of the hill, etc.) and there would be greater ones between here and where you are -- we're at 1,000 ft. above sea level here at the farm. But it's interesting to see what's happening in different places.