Weather Forecasting

January and New Year’s Eve:

• If, at night, on  New Year’s Eve, the wind blows south, it foretells warmth and growth.
• If, at night, the wind blows north on New Year’s Eve, the forecast is for a lot of cold and stormy weather.
• Whatever the weather is like the first twelve days of January indicates what the weather will be like for the next twelve months. Each day equals one month in succession.
• If ice melts on the 1st of January, it will freeze the 1st of April.
• A mild January will precede poor spring weather.
• “If St. Paul’s Day (Jan 25) be fair and clear, It doth betide a happy year; If blustering winds do blow aloft. Then wars will trouble our realm full oft; And if it chance to snow or rain, Then will be dear all sorts of grain.”

June:

• It is said that if it rains on 27 June, then it will rain for the next seven weeks.
• A wet June makes a dry September.
• A dripping June brings all things in tune.
• If swallows fly near the ground in June, it is a sign of coming rain.
• Bats flying on a June evening are a sign of hot, dry weather the next day.
• A calm June puts the farmer in tune.
• June damp and warm, does the farmer no harm.

July and St Swithin’s Day (July 15) :

• If it rains on St Swithin’s day the weather will be wet for 40 days and nights.
• A cool July brings a hot August.

The Phases of the Moon:

• In Italy they say that if the moon changes on a Sunday, there will be a flood before the month is out.
• “Circle round the moon, rain or snow soon.”  A circle or ring around the moon indicates moisture in the air, bringing precipitation.
• If there are two Moons (two New or two full) in the same month, the weather will be unfavorable and unsettled until the next New Moon
• Country people said that the weather was more likely to change at the four quarters of the Moon than any other time.
• When an outline can be seen between the horns of a waxing or waning Moon, rain is on it’s way.
• Sailors believed that if the Moon, in the first or last quarter, lay in nearly a horizontal position with the horns upward, the weather would be fine.
• Country people say that the same type of Moon means good weather for twenty-eight days.
• Almost every culture believed that if the New Moon came on Monday (Moon-day) it was a sign of good weather and good luck.
• Any new moon on a Saturday or Sunday was said to predict rain and general bad luck.

The Sky:

• “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morning, sailor take warning“. This weather rhyme is a quick way to remember that dry particles in the air causes the sky to look red.  Dry air in the west (the night sky), the weather will be dry.  If the sky is red in the east (morning sky), wet weather is headed your way.

Cats are great weather forecasters:

• Catch the cat cleaning it’s ear’s on Imbolc?  Tradition says that this means a storm is coming.
• Cat sneezing once means rain.
• If a cat washes behind its ears, it will rain.
• When the pupil of a cat’s eye broadens, there will be rain.
• A cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather ahead.
•  Cats become more boisterous than usual before strong winds.
• When a cat sleeps with her face under her fore paws then the temperature is sure to drop.

Birds:

• A single magpie denotes foul weather (presumably arising from the fact that pairs of magpies only forage together when the weather is fine.)
• A  cock crowing at bedtime forecasts rain, while one crowing during the rain predicts good weather.
• A robin sitting in a hedge means it will soon rain.
• If a robin is heard singing from cover then bad weather is on the way.
• If a robin sings from an open branch then good weather is coming.

Animals:

• When a bull roars and stamps its feet, rain will grace the fields.

Other Creatures:

• Crickets have been shown to be very good indicators of air temperature. Count the number of chips a cricket makes for 14 seconds.  Add 40 and the sum of the two numbers will equal the temperature to within 1 degree 75% of the time.
• Bats flying early in the evening – good weather

But wait, there’s more:

• Check out the pine cones.  If they are closed, it means wet weather is on it’s way.  Open cones predict dry weather.
• It is claimed that summer doesn’t start until the elder is in flower.
• Seaweed hung outside the door will be limp when the weather is to be cold and wet, but if it curls up the weather will be dry.
• To whistle at sea would be to summon up the wind, and in my family we were never allowed to whistle in the morning as this would bring rain that day.
• Whenever a person’s nose becomes cold then rain will follow within the hour.
• Cold feet (when sensibly wrapped) advise of a cold night, whereas unusually hot feet predict a warmer day.
• Children become more boisterous than usual before strong winds.

Compiled by shirleytwofeathers, from various sources for this Divination page. You may repost and share without karmic repercussions, but only if you give credit and a link back to this site.

Note: I will be updating this page from time to time to include any thing else of interest that I might find.