My grandmother could predict rain better than any weatherman. When I was very young I took it for granted that because she was older than me she knew everything, so of course she would know when it was going to rain.
When I was a little older and she predicted rain, I asked her how she knew. She pointed out a maple tree and showed me that the leaves had turned themselves bottom side up. Both the green and silvery parts of the leaves were showing. Sure enough, within two days or less it rained. Every time.
You may think the maples turn their leaves because of the wind. Of course, they do; but they turn their leaves when rain is coming even before there is a wind.
In Eric Sloane's Weather Almanac: A Classic Illustrated Guide to Weather Folklore and Forecasting, he corroborates Gramma's weather wisdom: "When trees grow, their leaves fall into a pattern according to the prevailing wind. Therefore, when a storm wind (which is naturally a non-prevailing one) occurs, the leaves will be ruffled backwards and show their light underside."
Except for two times during my lifetime, I've found my grandmother's weather wisdom to be accurate. The maple leaves may be better predictors of rain than the weather man.
Copyright © 2012-2014 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.