Snow Lore – What signs point to snow?
Will it snow? Here are some signs from nature you may want to look for.
Winter means snow. Years ago farmers desperately needed to determine how long, cold, and snowy the winter might be, as that would both help them plan but also suggest which crops would do best the following summer. Today many of you look to weather lore to see if nature agrees with our weather forecast
Each year when we share our 20 Signs of a Hard Winter, we get people commenting and questioning what signs might mean snow is on the way. Relying on unique indicators such as the shape inside persimmon seeds, the width of woolly bear caterpillar stripes, or the thickness of farm animals’ fur, many of our readers and friends share their insight and predictions for what the upcoming winter may bring.
Over the years, we’ve listed many of the most widely known bits of weather folklore for predicting everything from a rainstorm to a hard winter. Now that winter is nearly upon us, though, the biggest question most people have is, “How much snow are we going to get?” With that in mind, here’s a look at some folklore sayings that are specific to snow:
Snow Lore
- As many days old as is the Moon on the first snow, there will be that many snowfalls by crop planting time.
- If ant hills are high in July, winter will be snowy.
- If the first week in August is unusually warm, the coming winter will be snowy and long.
- The first snowfall comes six weeks after the last thunderstorm in September.
- For every fog in August, there will be a snowfall the following winter.
- Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry will cause snow to gather in a hurry.
- As high as the weeds grow, so will the bank of snow.
- A green Christmas = a white Easter.
- If the first snowfall lands on unfrozen ground, winter will be mild.
- If there is thunder in winter, it will snow seven days later.
- See how high the hornet’s nest, ’twill tell how high the snow will rest.
- The higher muskrats’ holes are on the riverbank, the higher the snow will be.
- A halo ’round the moon means ’twill rain or snow soon.
- Mushrooms galore, much snow in store. No mushrooms at all, no snow will fall.
- The day of the month on which the first snowstorm comes gives the number of storms you can expect in the following winter.
What are your favorite signs for predicting that a big snow is on the way?
Related:
What does weather lore say about hurricanes?
Caleb Weatherbee
Caleb Weatherbee is the official forecaster for the Farmers' Almanac. His name is actually a pseudonym that has been passed down through generations of Almanac prognosticators and has been used to conceal the true identity of the men and women behind our predictions.
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Loved the article, but the miss spelled word were a bit irritating. Need a proofreader? I work from home, let me know!!
Only one word?
My grandfather always pointed out a “Snow Sun” to me. The full sun has a mysterious glare to it the day before a snowstorm. It proved true today. Again!
. In one of the coldest decades of the Little Ice Age in Boston, Reverend Joseph Green wrote in his diary as early as September 6, 1703: “Snow at night 2 inches.” In Salisbury, Massachusetts, Reverend John Pike saw the first snow fall September 28, 1703 the diarist date October 31, 1703 as the beginning of Winter. Think about it snow in September?
Winter for Halloween?
I was writing about “Blood Snow” this time last year trust me no one would listen …. an omen found in the puritan writings of Reverend Cotton Mather was being cited in 2019 across the world before Covid-19 was ever known. Trust me no one would listen.
It is site to behold “Watermelon Snow”
I was always told whatever day the first snow that is how many measurable snows you are going to have. Our first was on 28th..we have had 25 snows, 2 ice with another forecast before the weekend.
I was told if a cat can see its footprints in the first snow storm, that date would predict the number of bad storms with large amounts of snow.
First snowstorm in 2021 was today (November 2) it was a dusting, but enough snow, on the ground, for a cat to see its footprints. Did you ever hear this?
My great grandmother said, Thunder in January (or February, forget which) snow in May. In the St. Louis snow storm of 85 or 86, it thundered, and in May there was still snow on the ground. Not sure if that counts for lore to be true, but I found it interesting.
My mother grew up in the 1930’s inTennessee and would say the fire is tromping snow when the fire made a a regular, whooshing sound. I never heard any weather connections. It was just a sound presumably caused by the wind across the chimney.
hi
Old mountain saying: the fire is tromping snow. My granny in the North Georgia mountains used this when sparkles ignited in the air outside of the wood heater, just after opening the door to replenish wood. These just happened in central Mississippi. We’ll see if snow follows. It is predicted for us.
Handed down, over many generations: “If you see the birds a flockin’, in six weeks the snow comes a knockin’.” I’m usually pretty amazed by how accurate that ends up being. This was from a southern Minnesota perspective for forecasting the first snow of the year.
What is the first date of snowfall for 2017?