per something in Silvers airplane thread - what folklore "signs" of rain do you know?

[Hippie Rancher]

2 common around here is rain before San Juan's Day (June 24) either no more rain until July 15, bad monsoon altogether, or bad year (yikes)
and the other is when the harvester ants make a tall mound it will be a good rain.

the San Juan's no more until the 15 was pretty accurate this year, almost made me superstitious. had two good storms yesterday and today. good start in mid June then real hot and nothing until last week. I've never seen the ant hill one pan out. too random and I suspect we are talking different species for flat and tall mounds anyway.

 

[Son of Butch]

Killing frost will come 180 days (6 months) after the first lightning storm of the year.

Plant potatoes on Good Friday, but wait to plant corn until the buds on the oak tree are the size of a squirrel's ear.

 

[sstterry]

When the corn has thick husks, it will be a hard winter.

 

[BFE]

Sun dog brings rain/snow within 48 hours.

Thunder in January, backwater in May.

Crawdad mounds are tall, lots of rain coming.

Snapping turtles moving to higher ground, deep backwater coming.

If fish stay in pools/ditches after the water goes down, the backwater will come back and get them.

 

[BFE]

Catalpa tree blooms around Memorial Day. If a storm knocks the blooms off, plenty of rain the rest of summer. If they fall off on their own, dry summer.

When the wildlife is hard on the move, big rain/snow is coming.

 

[Rafter S]

This isn't something I heard growing up, but back when I spent the biggest part of every day from May to October in the hayfield I noticed that if we had little or no dew in the morning it would almost always rain that afternoon.

 

[callmefence]

Here in central Texas this time of the year. the best indicator of rain chance is a strong south wind for several days. Often smells like the gulf .
The rain won't come from the south but from the approaching front to the north the gulf moisture is racing towards.
The plants and animals don't give any signs because like me they think it's probably just gonna pass by both sides of them.

 

[Ouachita]

When the county blades the dirt roads, rain cometh soon.

 

[Cattlelow]

This isn't something I heard growing up, but back when I spent the biggest part of every day from May to October in the hayfield I noticed that if we had little or no dew in the morning it would almost always rain that afternoon.

Seems to be the case here. We've had scattered showers of late in various areas on days there is little to no dew. Supposed to get a soaker heading into this weekend. I'm not holding me breath...

 

[Rafter S]

Here in central Texas this time of the year. the best indicator of rain chance is a strong south wind for several days. Often smells like the gulf .
The rain won't come from the south but from the approaching front to the north the gulf moisture is racing towards.
The plants and animals don't give any signs because like me they think it's probably just gonna pass by both sides of them.

My grandfather used to say "If the wind blows out of the east for three days all hell can't stop it from raining".

 

[greybeard]

Wind from the East, fishing is the least. Wind from the West, fishing is the best.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

If you want potatoes to keep through the winter plant them in the dark of the moon in the month of June.
Wean calves during the dark of the moon. They may bawl but they won't wander.

 

[Logan52]

Rain before seven/ Quit by eleven.
I remember this most from my tobacco raisin days. In the fall we were anxious to get the tobacco 'In case" so we could prepare it for market and get our check.
This would require high humidity for an extended time and old timers told us not to get excited by early morning showers.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

If you want potatoes to keep through the winter plant them in the dark of the moon in the month of June.
Wean calves during the dark of the moon. They may bawl but they won't wander.

a guy who helps out here when we work cattle swears by moon phasing for castrating.

 

[farmerjan]

I am a big believer in castrating when the sign is in the thighs; and it is heading towards the new moon. Blood flow is the slowest.
Red sky in morning sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.

Hazy ring around the moon, rain or snow comes soon.

 

[Ky hills]

If it doesn't rain on or close to the day if 4th of July it's going to be dry the rest of the summer.
A heavy crop of walnuts on the trees means a bad winter.
Leaves on trees turned upside down means impending rain.
Something about sun dogs. A friend always told that once a farm hand told him one morning that they better be getting in out of the field because he saw two sun dogs and there was a tornado later that day.
Heavy locust tree blooms means a good crop year.
When the goldenrods are in bloom it's 6 weeks till frost.

 

[Ky hills]

a guy who helps out here when we work cattle swears by moon phasing for castrating.

I remember a conversation with some older folks somebody was telling me in regards to working calves to wait for a certain sign of the moon to cut them. The other fellow said them calves ain't on the moon, cut em when the knife is sharp.

 

[greybeard]

If it doesn't rain on or close to the day if 4th of July it's going to be dry the rest of the summer.

June 28.

hasn't rained since.

 

[Ky hills]

June 28.
View attachment 19453
hasn't rained since.

Maybe that sayin is just regional.
It did rain here on the 4th, was dry before, and since then it's rained pretty often and pastures have greened back up. Coincidence, probably.

 

[BFE]

If it doesn't rain on or close to the day if 4th of July it's going to be dry the rest of the summer.
A heavy crop of walnuts on the trees means a bad winter.
Leaves on trees turned upside down means impending rain.
Something about sun dogs. A friend always told that once a farm hand told him one morning that they better be getting in out of the field because he saw two sun dogs and there was a tornado later that day.
Heavy locust tree blooms means a good crop year.
When the goldenrods are in bloom it's 6 weeks till frost.

We share quite a few, you got some I didn't think of.

The 4th thing holds true generally. The silver maples especially show the underside of their leaves before rain.