March Comes In Like A Lion …
Is this saying about March true? We take a closer look at this bit of weather folklore.
You may be familiar with the expression “In like a lion out like a lamb,” which is an abbreviation for “If March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb.” This bit of weather folklore predicts the kind of spring weather you may have in late March according to how the weather appears early in the month.
RELATED: Spring Weather Forecast
If March comes in like a lion, do you believe it will go out like a lamb? Is there any truth to this saying? Weather folklore sayings are as colorful as our imagination. While many sayings are based on careful observations and turn out to be accurate, others are merely rhymes or beliefs of the people who came before us. So is this one any different?
Ancestral Beliefs—Balance
Those people often believed that bad spirits could affect the weather adversely, so they were cautious as to what they did or did not do in certain situations.
Those beliefs often included ideas that there should be a balance in weather and life. So, if a month came in bad (roaring like a lion), it should go out good and calm (docile, like a lamb).
With March being such a changeable month, in which we can see warm spring-like temperatures or late-season snowstorms, you can understand how this saying might hold true in some instances.
We can only hope that if March starts off stormy it will end on a calm note, but the key word is hope. However, this saying seems to be simply a rhyme rather than a true weather predictor.
More March Weather Lore
Some other March-related weather lore includes:
- A dry March and a wet May; Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.
- As it rains in March, so it rains in June.
- March winds and April showers, Bring forth May flowers.
- So many mists in March you see, so many frosts in May will be.
- Is’t on St. Joseph’s day (19th) clear,
So follows a fertile year;
Is’t on St. Mary’s (25th) bright and clear,
Fertile is said to be the year.
What will March’s weather be like by you? Check your zone’s forecast now.
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- Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
- Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
This year March came in like a lion for sure. Hope to see that lamb at the end of the month.
We do too!
whats it going out like
For the east coast at least, it’s going out like a lion, same as it came in.
So true! Thanks for being one of our “Weather Watchers” and sharing your experience with others here, Amanda. It will be fun to hear what kind of weather everyone else sees! Stay in touch 🙂
Here we are, one year after my last post. March came in like a lamb again. Punxsutawney Phil (our weather predicting ground hog) predicted an early spring for this year. For all of February and the now early March he has been right. Sorry, FA, but you missed this one.
March 1st 2024…… The weather in N. Cal. is A LION. It’s raining hard here in the afternoon. We have more rain coming Sat./Sun. Break on Mon. Then 3 more days of rain. I think that we will have rain for awhile, but on and off. And I think March will go out like a LAMB…… because it will be Easter.
March 1 2024 Snowing in extreme Northwest Montana. 28 deg.Temps. to drop to 20 tomorrow.
Here in Ohio, March came in like a lamb. But snowstorms can occur in March and even in April.
February had 2 awful snowstorms, with over 12 inches of snow.
Here in Western Pennsylvania March came in like a Lamb. I hope it does not go out like a Lion. I do remember the White Hurricane of March 13, 1993. Had a 4 foot deep drift in my drive way.
Came in like a lion in Arkansas. Sure hope it goes out like a lamb.
We are warm and warm and fuzzy like a lamb in Florida-Thank you, God!
more often than not, I have seen more March’s come in like a lion and leave like a lamb and vice-versa
Came in like a lamb in Springville Indiana
Hey- I’m from Springville In
I have not heard that sang. I thank it will be true this year. The reason I thank that is because in Spring you get stormes