How many of you have ever been frustrated with the weatherman’s forecast when it turned out to be wrong and it ruined your outdoor activities? Believe it or not, you can be just as good – or even better – in “reading” the signs of nature in your own backyard! All you need is a bit of weather wisdom and experience.

Watching the skies, the actions of birds and bugs, tree and floral indicators, dew drops on the ground, even the taste in the air, and the famous “aching in the bones” are just a few of thousands of natural signs in weather forecasting. Before the invention of resources such as the Doppler Radar, people watched nature for the “weather news report.” And generally, these natural indicators were even more accurate.

So what is this natural way of predicting the weather?

It has been called “weather lore predicting,” “observation forecasting,” or simply “weather wisdom.” This is not a new practice. It has been around since man first walked the earth. Whether they were growing their own food or staying protected from the elements, the importance of getting it right had many implications. The Egyptians, Greeks, and even religious writers in history all made use of it. For example, the Old and New Testaments of the Bible both speak of weather wisdom. The book of Matthew has one I’m sure we’ve all heard one way or another.

“When it is evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matthew 16:2-3)

Ancient seamen said the same thing in their own poetic way:

“Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.

Red sky at night, sailors delight!”

As for the Midwestern American farmer, his version reads:

“Evening red, morning gray

Sets the traveler on his way;

Evening gray, morning red,

Brings down rain upon his head.”

Predicting the weather is important in today’s world. If it wasn’t, why do newscasts have continual weather updates? Or 24 hour weather hotlines? Or even up-to-the-minute internet weather sites? It affects every one of us. Now imagine learning to do it yourself “the old way.” Think of the tell-tale signs and of the enjoyment of finding them! It’s unfortunate that anyone nowadays would see this method as being outdated in comparison to modern technology, when in fact the two should go hand in hand.

Correct weather predictions have proven to make all the difference. Everyone from farmers to sailors to construction workers know and rely on this. Learn to know beforehand and spare yourself a headache!

Diane and I sure could have used some natural weather wisdom last year when we were finishing up some outside work around the house. We learned from that unfortunate experience that concrete and certain conditions do not mix!

It all started for me when I found an old book hidden on our dusty shelf, appropriately titled Weather Wisdom by Albert Lee. From there, I have gone on to test many folklore remedies and natural methods. I’ve been surprised at how easy it really is.

Too often in our modern world we forget our past. The old timer’s wisdom of yesteryear is ridiculed, passed over, and discarded in our “fast food” mentality of life. May we keep our families from falling prey to this. We’re trying to re-implement this weather wisdom in our family’s lives and we hope you will too. Next time I’ll pass on to you some methods to try. Till then… don’t forget your umbrella or heavy coat!