Weather Sayings: True or False?
Long before weather apps, people watched the sky and made up sayings to predict the weather. Some are surprisingly smart. Some are just plain wrong. Can you guess which is which?
Read each saying and make your guess before you look at the answer: TRUE SOMETIMES MYTH
Then stick around for weather jokes and riddles!
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.”
SOMETIMES TRUEHere, most weather moves from west to east. A red sunset means the sun is shining through clear, dusty air to the west, where tomorrow’s weather is coming from. A red sunrise means the clear sky has already moved east, and cloud may be coming in behind it. It works fairly often, but not every time.
“Ring around the moon, rain or snow soon.”
OFTEN TRUEA ring around the moon (or sun) is made by light bending through ice crystals in high, thin clouds. Those clouds often arrive ahead of a storm system, so rain or snow can follow within a day or two. Not always, though. See halos and sun dogs.
“Lightning never strikes the same place twice.”
MYTHLightning often strikes the same place again and again, especially tall things like towers, tall trees and skyscrapers. Believing this saying could get someone hurt. Remember instead: when thunder roars, go indoors. See Thunderstorms and lightning.
“If you can hear thunder, you’re close enough to be struck.”
TRUELightning can strike many kilometres away from the storm. If you can hear thunder, head inside right away and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder.
“It’s too cold to snow.”
MYTH (with a grain of truth)It can snow at almost any temperature below freezing, even at minus 30. But very cold air holds very little moisture, so big, heavy snowfalls are less likely on the coldest days. The snow that does fall is often tiny, sparkly crystals.
“Mackerel sky and mares’ tails make tall ships carry low sails.”
OFTEN TRUEA “mackerel sky” is rows of small puffy clouds that look like fish scales, and “mares’ tails” are thin, wispy streaks of cloud high up. Both often show up ahead of a weather system, so stronger winds can follow. Sailors used to lower their sails to be ready.
“When cows lie down, rain is coming.”
MYTHCows lie down to rest and chew their food, rain or shine. There’s no good evidence they can tell when rain is coming. Cute idea, though!
“Count a cricket’s chirps to find the temperature.”
ROUGHLY TRUECrickets chirp faster when it’s warm and slower when it’s cool. A rough rule: count the chirps in 8 seconds and add 5 to get the temperature in degrees Celsius. Try it on a summer evening and check against our live station!
“If the groundhog sees its shadow, six more weeks of winter.”
MYTHIt’s a fun tradition, and Alberta even has its own forecaster, Balzac Billy. But a groundhog’s shadow can’t predict the weather. On the Prairies, there are usually a lot more than six weeks of winter left on February 2 anyway!
“My hair goes frizzy before it rains.”
TRUEHair soaks up moisture from the air, which makes it curl and frizz. When the humidity rises before a storm, hair can tell! In fact, some of the earliest humidity instruments, called hygrometers, used a human hair.
“West wind, best wind.”
SOMETIMES, IN LETHBRIDGE!In winter, a west wind in Lethbridge often means a chinook: warm air, melting snow and blue sky. Lovely! But it can also mean gusts strong enough to blow your hat into the next county. See Chinooks.
😂 Weather jokes and riddles
Tap each one to see the answer.
Want more? Press the dad joke button for 56 more groaners.
What did one lightning bolt say to the other?
“You’re shocking!”
What does a cloud wear under its raincoat?
Thunderwear!
What kind of bow can never be tied?
A rainbow!
Why did the snowman call his dog Frost?
Because Frost bites!
What falls but never gets hurt?
Rain! (And snow.)
How do hurricanes see where they’re going?
With their one eye!
What’s a tornado’s favourite game?
Twister!
What did the chinook say to the snowman?
“I’m going to have you for lunch!”
Riddle: I have no wings, but I can fly. I have no eyes, but I can cry. What am I?
A cloud!
Riddle: I’m full of holes, but I can still hold water. What am I?
A sponge! (Okay, not weather. But it soaks up rain!)
Keep exploring
- Story Time: weather stories with real science
- Build-a-Story: a weather adventure starring you
- Big Words, Little Sayings: decode famous sayings
- Weather Wonders: chinooks, hail, tornadoes and more
- Discovery Zone home
🏫 For teachers and parents
- Class game: read each saying aloud; students stand for “true”, sit for “myth” and crouch for “sometimes”. Then reveal and discuss.
- Science skill: how do we test a saying? Pick one (red sky, or the halo), and have students record the sky and the next day’s weather for two weeks.
- Family project: ask grandparents for weather sayings they grew up with, and test them.