Certain rules good to REMEMBER about this:
Sky Brilliant yellow at sunset = wind / Pale yellow = rain / Clear far away sighting = rain past or to come./ Light cloud with indefinite edges = nice weather.
Thick clouds with well-shaped edges = wind.
If the birds fly low = will rain and wind.
Brilliant stars = nice weather coming. Night frogs #croassement# = nice day tomorrow! OLEY!
When rain comes first without wind then = a long period of bad weather with high wind and heavy rain.
But when wind comes first and is followed immediately by rain then fine weather will follow at short notice.
ANOTHER INFALLIBLE WEATHER signal is the appearance of Cumulus Nimbus cloud, a foreteller of thunderstorm.
While a greenish light in the sky preceding a thunderstorm is almost certain sign of heavy hail.
CLOUDS & THEIR READING:
CIRRUS = this is the mare's tail sky of the landsman, shows as long threads or wisps of cloud.
This is the highest of all cloud formations and is a sign of a high barometric pressure which means fine weather.
NOTE HIGH PRESSURE = FINE WEATHER:
However in cold regions where they gather in strong concentration this would mean a snow storm. (RATTTSSS!)
CIRRO-STRATUS & CIRRO CUMULUS:
In these clouds the former is a long wispy cloud and in the latter rounded small cloud the typical "mackerel" sky. Both = a high barometric pressure = FINE weather!
CUMULUS & CUMULUS NIMBUS:
They are the high white piled-up masses of cloud seen in summer. When streaked with horizontal bands it is Cumulus Nimbus or thunder cloud, a sign of coming storms which may be of a short duration, or may indicate a change in weather generally.
If they add up on top of one another in shape of heads they will tell that a storm is coming. Black and in shape of #enclume#* then a big storm is on its way.
STRATUS & NIMBUS:
Clouds are dense and dark & low in the sky = rain & mist
CIRROCUMULUS:
They are #pommelees#* clouds which look like fish scales = rain coming in the next 12 to 15 hours.
SUN CIRCLE: (Halo! LIKE AN ANGEL!)
A small circle around the sun = rains in the next 36 hours / A large circle around the sun = rains .... 24 hours MOON CIRCLE = RAIN!
WIND DIRECTION:
To find the direction when the wind is very light, just throw some dust in the air or let it fall slowly, or small grass or suck your thumb and let the wind blow on it to tell you which side is colder = wind side.
The wind direction will help you to find what kind of weather to expect. Wind that changes quickly in their direction will tell that weather will soon change.
SMOKE:
From your campfire smoke going up in a thin vertical column = nice if the smoke is going down toward the ground then = RainNN!
DRY GRASS:
If in the morning the grass is dry = rain coming before night.
BIRDS AND INSECTS:
When the air is humid and heavy the birds fly low and the insects fly even lower than usual = soon rain coming in same day even hour.
The insects are more active before the storm but the bees are more active when comes the nice weather.
LOW FRONT PRESSURE:
A front of low pressure often warned by light winds and hardly noticeable while the air becomes heavy with humidity.
These conditions mean that the bad weather will last several days. A low pressure is something you can "smell and hear". The damp air stays low and then spread its wild smell, the sounds carry farther and the sounds are sharper.
SIGNS OF NICE WEATHER:
When the wind during a storm changes direction = nice. When the fog in morning disappears in the 2 hours after sunrise / When the moon is brilliant & its edges are sharp.
When the sun is a red ball at sunset / When there is a rainbow at night warning then end of rain. When there is a good Dew on the ground.
When the clouds are isolated & high. When a slight breeze blows from West or N/West / When the #nebulosity# diminish after 3 or 4pm.
When there are heat lightning at night / When it rains with an East wind and that the wind turns slowly to North East then North = nice but cool.
Brilliant stars = nice weather coming / When the sky is rose, pink, or orange or pale blue at night.
REMEMBER a quick storm will leave as quickly.
BAD WEATHER SIGNS: (Ratttss!)
When the air is real echo? When the night temperature is higher than usual. When clouds move in opposite directions at high altitude.
When there is fog in mountains = rain in the day. / When thin white clouds (cirrus) at high altitude gather. / When there is a circle around the moon or sun.
When the clouds become dark in the afternoon. / When stormy clouds (Nimbo-Stratus & Cumulus) gather in West wind.
When after a nice weather period the wind changes direction. / When the Cumulus quickly form at the start of the afternoon. / When there is no Dew. / When the winds blow East or South East.
When the sun and the morning are grey and dull (beurrrk!) / When the moon is pale, foggy and with a halo. / When the smoke rises slowly & tends to stick to the ground.
When dark clouds gather at the horizon and to the side where the wind comes from. When the clouds are slow to form and that the rain starts slowly then the rain will last many hours. (Ratttsss!)
If the stars are real bright and numerous, the temperature will drop down much during the night except if the wind is strong but it will not rain.
When the sun sets in dark sombre clouds. When the moon rises red it will wind./ If the stars shine little and are shadowed = rain coming.
If the stars are real bright weather will change./ Lightning from the South warns of rain.
SNOW:
A Cree Indian saying: Snow like meal = snow a great deal.
NATURAL #BAROMETER#:*
Make your own: Take a piece of #sapin# *trunk about 3/4" in diameter with a branch.
Remove all bark, easier when the sap flows then you nail it outside. When the branch goes up = nice but when the branch tips down = rainNNN!
REMEMBER:
Tent should face East to profit from shade in afternoon and also to avoid rain and snow storm which ALWAYS comes from North and West.
This applies to North America but * elsewhere?
In the East it is opposite! Far East is Far Out!
Far Away & FAR-WEST RAMBOZO!
WEATHER AND INFORMATION:
CLOUDY SKIES:
REMEMBER this old sailor's chant: Mackerel scales and mare's tails, make tall ships carry low sails. These (cirrocumulus and cirrus clouds) are indications of stormy weather ahead.
Cirrocumulus do indeed look like the sky's covered with mackerel scales etc. If the sky is full of both, rain within 24 hours or less is almost certain.
SHEEP OR FLEECE CLOUDS:
Those white picture calendar puffballs or cumulus are camper's delight fairly guaranteeing a beautiful day ahead except when they decide to merge, forming bigger and bigger tall top-heavy clouds, or thunder-heads, sinking visibly under their own weight.
When they start pressing down from the sky, they will bring with them rain, lightning and possibly hail.
Usually they will darken at the bottom as they build up and the rain they bring will be scattered in localized summer showers or squalls under the dark areas.
The faster they change from white to black sheep, the shorter the storm. Conversely if it's all day a coming, it will be around for a while.
STRATUS CLOUDS:
Long ploughed furrows of white that go from horizon to horizon, bring either rain or snow if they build up enough. If not, why, it'll still be clear the next day.
The only way you'll know which to expect is to have watched them, and the results that followed many times. Keep your eye on them, you'll learn to gauge the future of the weather.
NIMBUS CLOUDS:
Are a sure bet it will rain or snow. Unfortunately by the time they arrived on the scene it's usually already in inclement weather.
They are low-hanging grey, shapeless mass, a misty dark overcast. The trick is to be able to spot the beginnings of this low mist.
The first sign of its pulling itself together usually means prolonged drizzly weather ahead. Low clouds in general bring bad weather.
THE WINDS THAT BLOW: (My mind?!)
GONE WITH THE WIND?
Wind brings the clouds and the weather. In many regions it's the best indication that a change is imminent. If there's no wind, there'll be no change in the weather.
Before we go any further, which way does a West wind blow? It blows from the West. Here is some weather calling wind rhyme to help along:
When the wind is in the North / The skilful fisher goes not forth. When the wind is in the East / This is good neither for man nor beast.
When the wind is in the South / It blows the bait in the fish's mouth. When the wind is in the West = There is the Very Best.
FOLK SIGNS:
A ring around the moon at night or around the sun (in their house) ALWAYS means it will rain or snow the next day. A small circle 36 hours and a big one within 24 hours.
HERE IS MOST CONSISTENTLY CORRECT VERSE FORECAST PARTICULARLY IN OCEAN, LAKE OR RIVER REGION:
Red sun in the morning / Sailor takes warning. Red sun at night / Sailors delight. / When the dew is on the grass / Rain will NEVER come to pass.
It's true that humidity at ground level has a strong relationship to that higher up in the atmosphere. When you see a heavy dew or frost in the morning, you can usually count on a good day.
If it's dry in the morning you can almost ALWAYS count on the sky feeling the ground need to be moistened a bit.
While you're sitting by a camp fire watch the smoke. If the smoke rises straight, the weather will stay clear.
If the smoke just spills over & hangs heavily around the ground, rain is almost certain.
The prevailing wind in the region is a good omen. Look at the leaves on the trees around you. They naturally lie so they won't be ruffled by the wind.
Wind from a different direction than usual, however blows the leave's underside up. Bad weather ahead.
ANIMAL SIGNS:
Wild things are much more sensitive than we to the changes in atmospheric pressure and their behaviour reflects it, in many cases turning them into living barometers.
Probably the best long range weather forecaster is the Elk. Out West come fall, when the Elk decides to descend from their mountain pastures. You know then that winter's only a couple days away.
Deer in the Northern do the same but are not as reliable. Migrating birds are another sign to get your winter camping gear ready. If the geese come early, be prepared for a long cold season.
BIRDS SIGNS:
If the ducks overhead are high, the weather will be good, if they are low they'll be taking shelter soon.
In general birds will snuggle up close to a tree trunk rather than sit far out or high if rain is coming. They will also stop signing, rain not being much to sing about when you're living in a tree.