Montana farmer-stockman. [volume], December 01, 1949, Page 2, Image 2

About Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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X
Carmel "for there is a sound of
abundance of rain.'
was undoubtedly the wind, and
even today in mountain or wooded
sections we hear such statements as
"the forrest is murmuring, it is going
to rain," or "the mountain is roar
ing, a storm is coming."
Frequently the predicted weather
comes, and the saying is as good
today as it was in Elijah's time. Gen
erally, the wind that creates the
noises is a part of the storm itself,
and the usual sequence—which
makes the saying useful—is for the
wind to precede the rain.
"Red in the morning, sailors take
warning; red at night, sailors de
light" is another old one which was
recorded in the Book of Matthew
as "When it is evening, ye say it
will be fair weather, for the sky
This sound
is red; and in the morning it will be
foul weather today, for the sky is
red and lowering."
This saying comes from the optical
effect of the sunlight which, shining
through thick layers of air at sun
rise or sunset, is partially scattered
by dust and other small particles in
the air. Red, which is scattered less
than other colors of the spectrum,
is thus the principal color illumi
nating cloud formations.
Signs Based on Fact
The resulting reddish sky may
have the meaning suggested by
popular quotation if the cloud for
mations are part of a storm system.
Therefore, in the morning, with a
storm approaching from the west,
a red sky usually has just the oppo
site meaning of a red sky in the
evening, with the storm moving east
ward.
And so it is with a great number
of weather signs and sayings—many
are based on scientific facts. They
do not always verify because they
usually consider only one element
of a complex weather situation
which may be continually changing.
For example, if a moist current, pro
ducing a mackerel sky, changes di
rection and is replaced by a dry cur
rent, the thunderstorm we expected
will probably occur somewhere else.
For short ranges of time, of a few
hours, some of the better known
signs can be depended upon more
often than not.
Of course, there are a number
of sayings that do not apply in Mon
tana or northern Wyoming, especial
ly those referring to the "sun draw
ing water," and others applicable to
oceans and coast lines.
What About the Moon?
Then there are some sayings which
appear to have little basis in fact,
such as the bowl of the new moon
meaning rain if inverted, dry weath
er if not. This has no relation to
weather, because it has no effect
on the atmosphere. Chances for rain
are equal on either a new or full
moon.
On the other hand, such sayings
as "The moon with a circle (halo)
brings water in her beak" have some
basis in fact, because the halo indi
cates the presence of high, thin
clouds which sometimes precede a
storm.
Commander F. W. Reichelder,
chief of the U. S. weather bureau,
in the 1941 Yearbook of Agriculture
wrote:
proverb says
should be planted during the dark
of the moon because they grow un
derground where there is no light.
Superstititions like this no longer
guide the farmer in his potato plant
ing, but many equally ridiculous
weather proverbs handed down from
the dark ages of meteorology still
enjoy popular belief.
"It is not easy to distinguish the
weather myth that is accepted be
cause it is often repeated from the
respectable proverb based on sound
observations. The myth, usually
lacking in definiteness, is now and
then corroborated by pure coinci
dence. These causes keep it current.
"Neither is it always easy to dis
tinguish mere guesswork, like that
sometimes found in weather calen
dars and almanacs, from authentic
forecasts based on sound synoptic
meteorology. Their wording does not
distinguish them; both must be
phrased in the same popular terms.
Like the myth, the guess is occa
sionally confirmed by chance, and
its spuriousness is then revealed only
by knowledge of its origin."
# ^
In the same article, Commander
Reichelderfer points out that daily
weather analyses and forecasts
must be based upon synoptic mete
orology, as is recognized in mete
orological services of all countries.
Forecasts based upon the phase of
the moon or the direct influences
of planets have been tested again
and again, and found to be as lack
ing in justification as those based
upon the weather of a particular day,
such as Groundhog day or St. Swith
in's day.
The science of meteorology has
advanced greatly during the last 25
or 30 years, and the nationwide
service of the weather bureau has
been proved repeatedly to be much
more dependable than reliance on
weather proverbs which in general
are not too reliable.
This is particularly true in fore
casting severe conditions, such as
blizzards, hurricanes, and other dan
gerous storms. With scientists con
tinuing to give their attention to
progress in meteorology, the day to
day service of the weather bureau
will continue to improve, in step
, with advances in weather knowl
edge.
A great many weather proverbs
are sound, some are not, and it pays
a person in the long run to use a
little care in choosing the sayings
and signs he uses. There are not a
great many sayings or local signs
covering the winter blizzard, which
is the most respected of our storms.
Farmers generally tend to be on
guard, however, if the weather be
comes unusually warm and quiet
in mid-winter. The characteristic
haze on the north horizon, becoming
darker and more ominous, sometimes
offers warning of an hour or two.
Effects of War, Atomic Bombs
A lot is heard these days about
the effect of the war, or the atomic
bomb, on our weather. As bombs
go, the atomic weapon staggers the
imagination; however, Mr. Grady
Norton, chief weather bureau fore
caster in Miami, has stated that all
the energy released by an atomic
bomb is very much less than 1 per
cent of the energy released during
the life of one tropical hurricane.
Longley (Bulletin of the American
Meteorological Society, May, 1949)
states that "energy throughout the
hurricane is being transformed at
the rate of atomic bombs a sec
ond."
The energy of one atom bomb
would, according to him, support one
less than half a second.
A summer afternoon thundershower
can equal the energy released by an
atomic explosipon in a short time.
With hundreds of storms of all kinds
spread over the globe at any time,
it becomes apparent that an atomic
bomb—or even a large number of