6 Mythical Ways to Predict a Storm

MYTH: If a dog starts to whine for no reason, you can expect a major storm like a tornado.

Before computers, radars, televisions and radios, our ancestors relied on their furry buddies to help warn them of incoming disasters. Many Midwestern predictions were based on an ever-present barometer, their animal’s nose—they thought that if Fido was wailing, a tornado must be in the air.

MYTH: Cats predict windstorms by scratching a post and predict snow by sitting with their back to the fire.

Farmers used to believe that a cat turned away from the fire was the most telling sign for (region) farmers that an impending storm was near. Good old Patches also could warn them of windstorms (if she was scratching a post) or rainstorms (if she was washing her face).

MYTH: If a cat licks its fur against the grain, a hailstorm is coming….

Before radars existed, sailors brought cats on board to help predict the weather (and to chase the rats that made their way into the sailors’ food supplies!). Hail was on the way if the cat licked its fur against the grain. If the cat sneezed, the sailors knew to prepare for rain, and if a cat was acting frisky, a windstorm was brewing!

MYTH: If the anthill is closed, a thunderstorm is on the way.

During the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BC) in China, people perfected the art of weather prediction via animals. But they weren’t drawing conclusions from cats and dogs—they were using insects! According to this proverb, a closed anthill indicated a thunderstorm in the near future.

MYTH: Aching knees predict a storm.

How many times has your grandma claimed to predict an incoming storm—rain, snow or even a blizzard—with her aching knees? Research has shown that a change in barometric pressure can cause joint pain, so while grandma’s predictions certainly aren’t scientifically accurate, there may be some truth in those sore knees!

MYTH: A ring around the moon means rain or snow is coming.

An old folk legend states that if you see a ring around the moon, you can predict rain or snow. Unfortunately, the ring around the moon is an optical illusion—you’re actually seeing diffracted light rays hitting ice crystals in our own atmosphere. So while the ring may indicate that a storm is about to strike the (region), you’re better off checking the radar to make a firm prediction!

How the Area Experts Really Predict Storms in the (Region)

No cats, ants or knees here—today, meteorologists predict the weather using radar, satellite and light detection (LIDAR) technology. With these devices, meteorologists can see large air masses and where they’re forming over the earth. Because air masses typically move quite predictably, scientists can predict weather patterns and types fairly accurately. It’s when they try to predict specific storms that things get a little less certain.

Tornados

As Midwestern residents know, tornados are notoriously difficult to predict, since they form in such small areas of space under just the right atmospheric conditions. 2011’s devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri had a 30-minute lead-time. In other words, there were tornado watches, but one wasn’t predicted until the storm actually showed up on the radar! We here at Paul Davis find that a bit close for comfort and thankfully scientists agree. Weather experts hope to one day advance the technology enough to get an hour lead-time on a storm. For the time being, if there’s a tornado warning in your area, know that you must act fast!

Blizzards

(Region) residents will be the first to tell you that blizzard prediction is an inexact science! Blizzards depend on the arrival of a cold front in conjunction with moisture and low atmospheric pressures. While satellites and radars can predict these weather patterns a few weeks in advance, those patterns can change very quickly. Things are literally “up in the air” when these systems can either create a blizzard or bring in a warm front instead!

Hail

Lucky for Midwesterners, hail prediction is fairly routine. Hail looks like heavy rain on a Doppler radar, and a very science-y sounding Hail Detection Algorithm allows meteorologists to analyze hail size data over time to determine which parts of the storms will come with large hail and how severe the storm will be. If your local weatherman is predicting hail, pay attention. He knows what he’s talking about!

Paul Davis Restoration/Emergency Services of (location) serves the following communities: (Lawrence, Topeka, Eudora, Baldwin City, Oskaloosa, Ozawkie, Tonganoxie, McLouth, Ottawa, Gardner, Northeast Kansas).