Dogs have been known to sniff the air before a storm. |
Text & Photos by Cindy Johnson
Can your dog tell you whether to plan a picnic? Could a goose tell you to pack an umbrella? Maybe, if you know how to "listen."
Before there were TV weathermen with Doppler radar, farmers and sailors used the clouds, the moon and stars, and animals to forecast the weather. Animals from ants to wolves can all predict the weather if you believe the folklore.
Should you believe the folklore? Not all of it, but some is based on how animals behave in certain situations and how the weather affects certain animals.
Weather is caused by air, water, and temperature. Air is made of small invisible particles called molecules. As small as they are, these molecules have weight. The weight of the air pressing down on us is called air pressure.
Warm air molecules spread out. Cold air molecules stay close together. When the molecules are spread out, the air is lighter over that area than when they are packed together. These spread-out molecules also make room for warm air to hold more moisture than cold air can.
Low air pressure usually brings cloudy, stormy weather. High air pressure usually brings clear weather. When the two meet, the warm, wet air cools off. The cooler air molecules push together, "squeezing out" rain or snow.
The old weather saying, "Birds flying low, expect rain and a blow" makes sense. Birds and bats like to fly where they can get the most lift when they push down with their wings. In the low pressure before a rain, they can't get as much lift and fly lower.
Birds tend to fly lower in the sky before a storm. |
Many animals are said to be noisy before wet weather. According to folklore, rain is a sure thing when wolves howl, crickets sing loudly, frogs croak, geese cackle, or ravens crow. The animals may not actually be croaking, howling, or cackling louder, but they are easier to hear. Scientists think cloud cover bends sound waves back toward the earth, extending their range. This makes it easier to hear sounds from far away and near sounds seem louder.
More moisture in the air makes smells seem stronger, too. When particles of odor become wet, they cling more easily to the smell cells in our noses. This could be why dogs are said to sniff the air before a rain. It may not be the smell of rain, but the smell of a far away animal or food it finds interesting.
Another bit of animal weather folklore that has a basis in fact is "chickens shed their feathers before a tornado." Birds release a hormone when they are frightened that causes them to molt their feathers. Of course, many things besides the sudden change in air pressure that occurs before a severe storm can frighten chickens.
Animals may not be the best weather predictors these days, but some of their natural behaviors and instincts do reflect what is going on in the atmosphere. Try watching the wildlife around your house to see how well they predict the weather. But if your chicken sheds its feathers, head for the nearest TV or radio to check the forecast from a meteorologist.
ACTIVITIES
A Cricket Thermometer
The snowy tree cricket can actually tell you how hot it is outside. This insect's chirp is controlled by its temperature. Go outside on a warm evening and listen to the crickets chirp. Count the number of chirps in 14 seconds. Now add 40.
If you're listening to a snowy tree cricket, the number you get will be the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
Use Your Smell Cells
Try this experiment to see how water makes smells stronger. You will need a plant mister or spray bottle of water. Gather several items with a faint odor. You might try grass, pinecones, or even a little dirt. Give each item a sniff.
Now, mist your face with the water, being sure to get the area above your upper lip wet. (You might want to spray the mist into the air, then stick your face into the mist to avoid getting a face full of water). Give the items another sniff.
Is the odor stronger than it was before? You could also have a friend hold a strong-smelling item like a peeled lemon or orange. With your nose dry, walk away from your friend until you can no longer smell the odor. Now use the mist. Can you smell the item now?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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"Weather Folklore, ambience: Crickets." Pulse of the Planet, November 1999, 2007.