Predicting the weather long before it arrives is a near impossible task. 7-10 day forecasts are getting more and more accurate every year, but anything further out than that is next to impossible. The Climate Prediction Center is your best chance to get an idea of the weather a month or more out, but any specifics are hard to come by. So some people prefer to turn away from the scientific and look towards folklore to determine what sort of a winter they can expect.
Farmers, homesteaders, and general weather enthusiasts have looked toward a mix of science and folklore to determine what the weather will look like in the coming months for hundreds of years. Forecasters like the Old Farmers’ Almanac and the Farmers’ Almanac (yes, they’re different) provide weather predictions on the upcoming year in order to help gardeners and farmers determine what to plant and when to plant it.
People have used plants and wildlife to determine what the future weather will look like as well. While some of these are complete folklore, some are rooted in science. Here are 7 ways birds can help predict a cold and snowy winter according to both the Old Farmers’ Almanac and the Farmers’ Almanac.
7 Ways Birds Can Help Predict A Cold and Snowy Winter According to Farmers’ Almanac
- When geese and ducks migrate early, expect a cold and severe winter.
- If you spot robins near a house in the fall months, expect a cold winter.
- Wild turkeys perching in trees and refusing to come down signals imminent snowfall.
- Turkey feathers that are unusually thick signal an incoming harsh winter.
- If the hen sheds its feathers before the rooster, winter will be hard as a rock.
- Woodpeckers sharing a tree indicate a cold and harsh winter.
- When the snowy owl arrives early, expect a cold and harsh winter.
