cold weather is on the way because...

[bobbydog]

Because the amount of wishful-thinking (by NW members) has surpassed a certain threshold: just keep thinking of a white blob!

good idea- collective telekinesis to control the weather!

[Liam J]

Cold weather is on the way when we have violent mood swings and toy throwing tanturms... Or is that a sign winter is comnig and no cold weather is showing

[nodrog]

Because the Gease are flying over head right now - south and I saw a robin last week.

Oh, and the Utility Companies have put the rates up!

[egret]

The time honoured one re lots of berries foretelling a harsh winter is getting me worried this year. There are very few berries around here and the birds are already stripping berries from the cotoneaster (before they are even fully ripe)

This would suggest a mild winter and I really hope so for the wildlife as autumn pickings have been rather meagre.

Of course bird migration says more about ice and snow cover to our north and east and we should indeed anticipate early migration if you look at the current snow cover. We normally find most duck and geese on the water meadows after Christmas rather than before.

[Liam J]

Shed loads of acorns on the ground in Cumbria.... Could this mean a harsh inter beckons......

Have an oak tree near your house? Noticed the ground of your yard, driveway, or porch overrun with acorns? If so, folklore predicts that these same surfaces may be blanketed by snow this winter.

Not only the acorn, but its connoisseur--the squirrel--is also linked to winter weather. If squirrels are more active than usual, it's considered an indication that a severe winter is on its way. And its no wonder why. During the autumn and winter season, a squirrel's main task is gathering nuts and seeds for its storehouse, so if its efforts have noticeably increased, it could only mean he's preparing for the worst.

Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry,

Will cause snow to gather in a hurry.

Edited November 10, 2012 by Liam J

[Aaron]

So if I have an oak tree near my house, and my front yard on the left side near the gate is covered in acorns, everywhere else will be mild?

[Floatylight]

Much rain in October ,much wind in December.

The nearer the new moon to Christmas Day ,the harder the winter.

Wind in the North West on St Martins day (11th November) severe winter on the way.

Wind in the South West on St Martins Day " " " " There it will remain till february and a mild winter to be had...

great one,where did you get this from,?

and will it be windy in the n/west tomm?lol

[Liam J]

So if I have an oak tree near my house, and my front yard on the left side near the gate is covered in acorns, everywhere else will be mild?

Yes Aaron, you now know precisely where you'll be building your snowman this winter lol

Who needs the GFS when you have an oak....

Edited November 10, 2012 by Liam J

[Liam J]

Alot of the red berrie's have ripened very early this season and the crop to start with wasn't great given the very poor summer. I worry for our feathered friends, bad times.

Edited November 10, 2012 by Liam J

[Eskimo]

great one,where did you get this from,?

and will it be windy in the n/west tomm?lol

Ironically yes they will be coming from the North-West, lets all prepare for a cold winter!

[Bumpkin]

Well from all these sayings and theories it looks like a mixed winter! Personally I've never seen a correlation between berry amounts and winter weather, lack of berries this year is more to do will the poor spring and summer (lack of sunlight and the insects not about for pollination). I have noticed large numbers of fieldfares and redwings around the farm, although we have had good numbers of fieldfares for the last few winters, cold or mild.

Being a country girl I do look at nature and what happens in the winter but I haven't been able to spot any strong links unfortunately.

[Ninman]

Shed loads of acorns on the ground in Cumbria.... Could this mean a harsh inter beckons......

Have an oak tree near your house? Noticed the ground of your yard, driveway, or porch overrun with acorns? If so, folklore predicts that these same surfaces may be blanketed by snow this winter.

Not only the acorn, but its connoisseur--the squirrel--is also linked to winter weather. If squirrels are more active than usual, it's considered an indication that a severe winter is on its way. And its no wonder why. During the autumn and winter season, a squirrel's main task is gathering nuts and seeds for its storehouse, so if its efforts have noticeably increased, it could only mean he's preparing for the worst.

Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry,

Will cause snow to gather in a hurry.

If this is the case then we're going to have a snow fest! My garden is like a squirrel supermarket, they are always in the garden hiding food lately. In fact I put 4 fat balls outside for the birds last night and this morning they were all gone with a shifty looking squirrel on the bird table. Last weekend I saw a squirrel steal a whole suet block off the bird table! Although it did drop it when trying to climb over the cemetry wall.

[Floatylight]

fantastic thoughts people

I have an oak tree in my garden(unfortunatly)

I say that because i only have a small garden and it was left by the builders and its just not practical.

There are lots of acorns and upon inspection are very large ones too.

[crimsonp]

Red sky at night, ya barns' alight!!

[Eskimo]

In 2010 I spontaneously decided to grow a beard in November, look what happened! Does that count?

[snow-witch]

Where the rain doth fall in abundance in Summer so the cold and snow will follow in Winter!

[Aaron]

When the sun shines on the blossom tree in September, the following winter will be mild.

We're just making up folklores, right?

Edited November 10, 2012 by Aaron

[Eskimo]

When the sun shines on the blossom tree in September, the following winter will be mild.

We're just making up folklores, right?

You get blossom in september?! :o

[Aaron]

No..

[Methuselah]

When autumn be it anything, no one knows what follows...

[Eskimo]

No..

Well then stop making up folklore

[Jasmine]

When will it snow in London?

[Jax]

*wets finger* (do not ask how), *holds up finger* (def do not ask)

Tis gonner be dry here (wet finger not withstanding)

7.4oc, wind coming from the west and cooling later, with chance of showers in 2 day's ( 2 day's I tell ya), some cloud and there may be mist on that round-a-bout near Birmingham (yer been warned).

[fizz511]

In 2010 there was a piece in a newspaper, which i read, about a woman beekeeper, and whilst being interviewed she mentioned in passing that she'd never seen her bees shore up their hives against the oncoming winter as much as she was witnessing at the time.

Unfortunately I've never seen any accounts for what the bees got up to for last year, but it was interesting to me how they were behaving in the Autumn of 2010 - it wouldnt have been reactive to the year before, so either they were picking up on some of nature's 'tells' that pass us by completely, or it was a bizarre piece of collective behaviour?

Fizz

[Bumpkin]

A couple of sayings I found.

Sharks go out to sea at the approach of a wave of cold weather.

Ice in November to bear a duck,

The rest of the winter'll be slush and muck.

When there are lots of berries on the dogberry tree,

it means its going to be a bad winter!

And this one reminded me of this year!

Dirty days hath September

April June and November

From January up to May

The rain it raineth every day

All the rest have thirty-one

Without a blessed gleam of sun

And if any of them had two-and-thirty

They'd be just as wet and twice as dirty.