Forecasting winter...

   People use all types of things to predict upcoming winter weather. I was raised not only on meteorology but also on nature clues. Some I think can predict, some I think are just interesting. 
    

Caterpillars (or wooly worms as they are called around here) are often used to forecast the winter. The more narrow the band of orange the worse the winter. The bigger the band of orange, the more mild. If you see a large amount of caterpillars out scurrying along then it's said that cold weather is soon to approach. The fatter they are the harder the winter. This year we saw them scurrying alot the end of Sept, first of Oct, pretty plump but with a wider band in the middle.

 

Persimmon seeds are another huge way around here that winter is predicted. Persimmons are a delicious fruit that only comes on in the fall and seeds not only showcase weather but the whole fruit is squished through mesh and the pulp is used in things from pudding (my fave) to cakes, cookies you name it. Even wine locally!!  The signs are Spoon: heavy wet snow. Fork: mild winter. Knife: cutting sharp winds. This year the seeds are showing spoon for heavy wet snow.

Animals showcase upcoming weather too. Pigs gathering lots of sticks early in fall means a cold winter. Squirrels gathering nuts early means an early winter and if they gather in abundance a long winter. Animals will take their winter fur ...and then winter is not far off. Thunder and fog in August/Sept is used to say when the first snow will be.  How high a hornet builds it's nest will forecast how many feet of snow overall you'll have in the winter. Abundant and large spider webs mean a hard winter. A dry summer will mean a wetter winter. A late summer will mean a late winter. A heavy dew in the morning means a clear day.
  Lots of folklore goes into forecasting weather but farmers had to have the heads up on something..since they are usually right! I grew up with my grandparents and local farmers using the above methods. My Dad and my cousin when they farmed together would often see how the dew was in the morning before trekking to the farthest fields to plant/harvest. Same as many people would laugh but if a certain farmer had put his hay down to dry...it was guaranteed that a rain storm would happen within a day or two. And they were always right! LOL
 The forecast this year is for a below normal to way below normal bitter temperature for the winter with a chance for a heavy snow later in the season.