Weather Lore and Proverb Calendar

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Weather Proverbs for Each Month of the Year

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At The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we are big fans of weather folklore, proverbs, and sayings. So, we’ve created a Weather 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. 

See the proverbs below for each month of the year and see which ring true to you!

Check out our 20 Winter Weather Folklore Sayings for more!

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!

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

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