Weather Proverbs Quiz
"When smoke descends..."
- The instability of pre-storm pressures and humidity keeps smoke from chimneys or bonfires from rising quickly. Smoke curls downward in the face of a storm wind.
"A rainbow in the morning gives you..."
- In the morning, when the sun is in the east, the rain shower and its rainbow are in the west. In the northern hemisphere, the weather moves mostly from west to east. A morning rainbow means the rain is moving from the west toward the observer.
"When the ditch offends the nose, look for..."
- High-pressure conditions serve to trap a certain amount of odors in ditches and other low lying areas. As pressure decreases, as before a storm, odors from ditches, swamps, and cellars are able to escape.
"A cow with its tail to the west, makes weather the best; A cow with its tail to the east, makes..."
- This saying has some truth to it. An animal grazes with its tail to the wind so that it can smell a predator approching from the rear. So, insofar as an east wind implies foul weather and a west wind implies fair weather, a grazing animal's tail is a good sign of the approaching weather.
"April showers bring..."
"A clear moon means..."
- If the atmosphere is clear, the surface of the earth is able to cool quickly at night, since there is no "blanket" of clouds to hold in the heat absorbed during the day. If the temperature is low enough on these clear nights and there is no wind, frost may form.
"A halo around the sun or moon will likely bring..."
- The halo around the sun or moon is caused by a layer of cirrus clouds. These clouds are made of ice crystals that act as tiny prisms, forming a white or sometimes colorful halo around the sun or moon. The clouds often indicate an approaching warm front and an associated area of low pressure. Rain or snow will not always follow, but there is a higher probability of it after a halo is seen. The brighter the halo, the greater the probability.
"Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky in morning, sailors..."
- When the western sky is especially clear, there is often a red sunset That is because the sun is low in the sky and its light passes through dust and pollution particles in the lower atmosphere. This is especially true if an area of high air pressure is present. However, if the sky is red in the eastern morning sky, then the high pressure region has already passed, and an area of low pressure may follow, possibly bringing clouds, rain or storms.
"Mare's tails and mackerel scales make tall ships..."
- A mackerel sky refers to the cirrocumulus clouds that often precede an approaching warm front, which will eventually bring strong veering winds (changing from northeast to Southwest and east to west) and precipitation.
"Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand; It's a sign of _______ when you are at hand."
- Low Pressure is a sign of impending rain. Generally, birds tend to roost more during low pressure than during high-pressure. A possible explanation for this is that the lowering of air pressure and density make flying more difficult.
