One day hot, the next downright cold, so goes the spring weather. One day splashing and laughter can be heard over the back fence and two days later you awaken to the sound of gently falling raindrops. Too soon, one will overtake the other. Nowadays in Southern California weather is all about comfort and convenience. When and where people live dictates weather’s impact upon them.
The weather played an important role in the life of a homesteader in the 1800s. Charles Dixon (my great grandfather) arrived in Kansas, penniless, from England. There he raised his family, grew wheat and became prosperous. As were the people, crops and livestock were vulnerable out on the plains of Kansas. Weather–watching was continuous, on the lookout for blizzards, hail and tornadoes. If an early harvest or a sheltering of livestock were attempted it might be lifesaving. Weather predictions, most without much scientific basis, were used and some worked. The invention of the telegraph and the start of the National Weather Service during this time were valuable to the farmers’ livelihood.
Information handed down generation-to-generation often becomes lost. Some of the old-time weather predictions that were based on old wives’ tales may be humorous but if they worked – what the heck! My grandpa no doubt used a few of the following:
- The darker the woolly caterpillar or its brown stripe, the harsher the weather.
- The higher the clouds, the better the weather.
- If you make a fire outside and the smoke goes straight up, you will have good weather. If the smoke curls and wisps, then rain is on its way.
- Clear moon, frost soon.
- When ditch and pond offend the nose, look for rain and stormy blows.
- Birds fly high, no worries from the skies.
- Cattle gathering in a tight group in a corner or even in a field indicate a storm approaching quickly.
- Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus said, “When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.” Luke 12:54-55.
So people have long known how to read the weather signs.
Wow! A thunderstorm, with rain and a bit of hail, came on Tuesday; the following day, guided by a strong gust of wind, the thermometer hit 88 degrees. According to the NWS, summerlike temperatures will be prevalent across inland valleys today and tomorrow, Friday. And, here we go again – the weather forecast predicts cooler conditions for the weekend to be continued into early next week. I think we’ve landed in the middle of (no, not Kansas!) a carnival; more specifically, we’re riding on a weather-thermometer rollercoaster … Whee!