A few weather myths dispelled…
The British have always had a fascination with the weather. There are probably several reasons for this,
but perhaps the most likely one is that the conditions on these islands are so changeable. We may have
a temperate climate, with extreme cold and heat uncommon, but we have become accustomed to
sudden changes. There are startling records of abrupt switches from summer to winter – or vica versa –
in the space of a day or two.
Technology may now be good enough to make reasonable predictions for up to a week ahead, but in
the distant past, folk needed to rely on their own instincts to predict the conditions that lay ahead. There
are many sayings or ‘folklore’ associated with our weather – some of which are quite accurate.
However, there are also those sayings that seem to have stood the test of time, but have no truth
whatsoever. As we approach winter, I thought it would be good to blow away a few misconceptions –
and attempt to explain why some shouldn’t be relied on. Here are just three of my favourites…
Red berries – a harsh winter ahead…
We often hear it being said at this time of year, and you can understand some of the logic behind it.
Berries are a good source of food for birds, and a heavy crop of red berries could be nature’s way of
ensuring they don’t go hungry. However, berries in the autumn – however plentiful – are no indicator
of the winter to come. If anything, they tell us more about what happened last spring: warm weather in
May means lots of pollinating insects. The more flowers that get pollinated, the more berries you’ll see
now.
A green Christmas – a white Easter!
This is an odd one, but there does seem to be some support for this in the record books. In some parts
of the country it is more likely to snow at Easter than at Christmas, but there are still flaws in the
saying. For a start, Easter can fall as late as 25 th April – and I hardly think that snow is even equally
likely to fall then than in December. On the other hand, Easter can fall as early as 22 nd March –
increasing the possibility of snow.
The folklore behind this was probably trying to say that, although Easter falls in the spring, our weather
can be fickle and cold snaps are still likely – even if Christmas was mild. March 1975 was 2C colder
than the preceding January – and over 3C colder than December 1974 had been. What a funny ‘winter’
that must have been.
It’s too cold to snow..
This one always makes my laugh, and I hear this being said almost every year – yet there isn’t any truth
in it. Again, there are reasons behind how this saying may have started, but the logic is misguided. Our
coldest weather usually occurs under clear skies, usually in a spell of high pressure. This allows
temperatures to drop fast, especially if there is already a covering of snow. December 1981 saw bitterly
cold spell, and following a fall of snow, temperatures dropped to -25C in Newport (Shropshire). Of
course, with clear skies there is no cloud for any precipitation to fall – the atmosphere is then too dry,
not too cold.
Very often our snowfall arrives when milder Atlantic air moves in at the end of a cold spell, bring
bands of rain which turn to snow when they hit the cold air, and temperatures can rise as a result.
However, some of our snowy weather has come courtesy of very cold continental winds, falling at
surprisingly low temperatures. It does, after all snow in other parts of the world in extremely low
temperatures! Snow that falls well below 0C tends to be drier and more powdery.
There are literally hundreds of sayings connected to folklore form our past. These are just a taster! If
you have any that you know of that are perhaps more accurate, please do let me know. However,
although technology can have its ups and downs, I think I’m going to rely on more modern techniques
to forecast future conditions!