By Patti Ghezzi for DivineCaroline
Were leaving for a beach vacation in two days and Im worried it will rain the whole time. We desperately need this vacation. And we really need some sun.Heres what the weather report says: Thirty to forty percent chance of rain. A euphemism for We dont have a clue.Since I cant find my trusty Magic 8 Ball, Im leaning on my favorite old wives tales about weather prediction. Usually when I look into a wives talesuch as how chocolate will give you acneIm schooled in the scientific reason why its false. (Great! I love chocolate.) To my surprise, though, some of my favoritewives tales about weather have at least a nugget of truth. Many originated with farmers and fishermen whose livelihoodand in some cases, livesdepended on accurate weather prediction. Still, many supposed predictors ofweather only tell you what the weather is already doing. I pulled together this list of common weather wives tales to see which had some truth and which we should all ignore.
1. Look to the stars. If you see stars at night, youll wake up to a sunny day. If you dont see stars, get out the galoshes. Okay, not exactly a brain teaser. If its cloudy, you wont see stars and that could indicate rain the next day. But dont count on it. Storms can move quickly.
2. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors delight. This is referenced in the Bible and Shakespeare, so it must be true, right? It can be a somewhat accurate predictor if you observe the sky at the right time, such as when the sun is setting. When the sky is red, it suggests there are a lot of dust particles in the air, which means high pressure and stable air coming from the west. Good weather is likely to follow.
