�������� Lore and Proverb Calendar

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�� Proverbs for Each Month of the Year

December 12, 2023

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At The Old Farmer’s ��, we are big fans of weather folklore, proverbs, and sayings. So, we’ve created a �� Lore Calendar just for you—with folklore for every month of the year!

Before modern meteorology, folks watched the skies to forecast the weather. For example, “A halo around the Moon predicts wet or stormy weather.” Many of these proverbs are based on a certain truth; for example, a ring around the moon usually indicates an advancing warm front, which means precipitation. Under those conditions, high, thin clouds get lower and thicker as they pass over the moon. Ice crystals are reflected by the Moon’s light, causing a halo to appear!

For centuries, farmers and sailors—people whose livelihoods depended on the weather— relied on lore to forecast the weather. They quickly connected changes in nature with rhythms or patterns of the weather.

�� Lore Calendar
For centuries, farmers and sailors—people whose livelihoods depended on the weather— relied on lore to forecast the weather. They quickly connected changes in nature with rhythms or patterns of the weather. Here is a collection of proverbs relating to months, weeks, and days.
January	July
Fog in January brings a wet spring. [13th] St. Hilary, the coldest day of the year. [22nd] If the Sun shine on St. Vincent, there shall be much wind.	If the 1st of July be rainy weather, it will rain more or less for three weeks together. Ne’er trust a July sky. [3rd] Dog days bright and clear, indicate a happy year.
February	August
There is always one fine week in February. If bees get out in February, the next day will be windy and rainy. Fogs in February mean frosts in May. Winter’s back breaks about the middle of February.	If the first week in August is unusually warm, the winter will be white and long. [24th] Thunderstorms after St. Bartholomew are mostly violent. When it rains in August, it rains honey and wine.
March	September
When March has April weather, April will have March weather. Thunder in March betokens a fruitful year. Dust in March brings grass and foliage. A March Sun sticks like a lock of wool.	Fair on September 1st, fair for the month. Heavy September rains bring drought. If on September 19th there is a storm from the south, a mild winter may be expected. [29th] If St. Michael’s brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow.
April	October
If it thunders on All Fools’ Day, it brings good crops of corn and hay. Moist April, clear June. Cloudy April, dewy May. Snow in April is manure.	Much rain in October, much wind in December. For every fog in October, a snow in the winter. Full Moon in October without frost, no frost till full Moon in November.
May	November
Hoar frost on May 1st indicates a good harvest. A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay. In the middle of May comes the tail of winter.	A heavy November snow will last till April. Thunder in November, a fertile year to come. Flowers in bloom late in autumn indicate a bad winter.
June	December
A good leak in June, sets all in tune. When it is hottest in June, it will be coldest in the corresponding days of the next February. [24th] Rain on St. John’s Day, and we may expect a wet harvest.	Thunder in December presages fine weather. A green Christmas, a white Easter. As the days lengthen, so the cold strengthens. If it rains much during the twelve days after Christmas, it will be a wet year.

Click here for a downloadable and printable version.

True or false? See some common weather sayings and their meanings.

Let us know about YOUR experience with weather folklore in the comments. Are there common sayings that have been passed down in your family? We want to hear them!

�� Lore

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s �� found each other. She leads digital content for the �� website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is out.
according to my family translates to:-
Keep your coat close hand until the May blossom (hawthorn) is in bloom (or the Month of May has ended depending on their mood!)

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"A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay. A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon."

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I'm counting 2 comments, regarding August's weather as barometer for snow in the next-coming winter. So that leads to me wonder:

1. Is this precipitation we're witnessing?
2. How long is the precipitation process for fog to become snow?

If the answer is precipitation, it means observations by hopinjoe and Susane Shipe are both true - and makes sense as to why it occurs this way.

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Observations of August fog and winter have a history in weather lore. We have heard of weather proverbs such as “So many August fogs, so many winter mists.” There is another, though, that says, “A fog in August indicates a severe winter and plenty of snow.” Similarly, as mentioned in the article above, “If the first week in August is unusually long, the winter will be white and long.” Another one says for August 24 (St. Bartholomew’s feast day), “If this day be misty, the morning beginning with a hoar-frost, the cold weather will soon come, and a hard winter.” As to whether this applies to your area, it might be fun to record the fogs in August (with beans, as mentioned by Susan Shipe, is a great idea!) and see how the coming winter shapes up. These weather proverbs are perhaps alluding to larger patterns of weather that tend to come together. The water in the fog in August, though, likely is not forming the snow that develops in a region in later winter months. Water vapor and droplets can travel over great distances, in clouds, from evaporation, in runoff, etc. Some water may stay in the area, while other water might be transported elsewhere, by land (such as streams) or air, or even living creatures. Hope this helps!

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the number and heaviness of august fogs can predict how much and how many snowfalls you will get the on coming winter

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What will winter be like this coming yr.will it be cold or will we have a warm winter.

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Here in the Blue Ridge mountains, part of the Appalachian Mtn Range, every fog in August means a snow in the winter. Folks put a big dried bean in a jar for the big fogs and a small bean for the lesser foggy mornings and then compare beans to snowfalls in the winter!

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What a fun ongoing seasonal activity! Do the beans really match up throughout the seasons? How do they compare by the end...?!

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Re weather lore personal observations: here in Brenham TX 77833, about 3 weeks ago my husband observed a squirrel attempting to move our neighbor's cotton twine mop. The squirrel was able to transport the mop from the fence where it was hanging to a location of the squirrel's choice. Bob presumed the squirrel was stockpiling a warm home for the winter to come. And goodness the acorns are totally thick here and at our home in Clear Lake area of Houston TX 77059. Also, our pecans are slow in falling from the trees, and the leaves are still healthy on the trees. Our biggest problem in the garden areas right now is abundance of nut grass. Love your emails and the weather lore calendar and info, thank you!

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