Weather Myths Mainers Believe—And Which Ones Are Actually True

Weather myths and folklore are as common in Maine as just about anywhere.

Things like red skies at night and cows laying down means certain types of weather is rooted deep in our culture.

A lot of these weather predictions come from an era before modern day forecasting and meteorology, according to norcast weather.

Fishermen, farmers and the like used these methods to see what conditions were in store. They took the cues from nature and adapted them to tell the weather.

Here are 5 weather myths in Maine.

"Red skies at night, sailor’s delight; red skies in the morning, sailors take warning"

The expression is used often. It has such a strong connection to sailors and Maine as a coastal state.. Weather experts say it has to do with high and low pressure systems that affect the sunlight. Overall, it’s a good and reliable way to predict weather.

"Cows lie down when rain is on the way"

The myth is cows will lie down when bad weather is on the way to keep the ground dry. This is a widespread belief in Maine because of the large farming communities. There’s not as much science involved in this myth, but is more folklore passed down from one generation to the next.

"A ring around the moon tells you rain is coming"

This myth is more scientific and is a good forecaster. Halos around the moon are caused by weather fronts and refracting light. It often means rain or precipitation is coming in less than a day. In Maine, it’s also a foreshadow to nor'easters and big snow storms.

"A Cold winter means no snow"

The myth says there's less snow during a freezing cold winter because of the dry air. We know in Maine that snow falls in extreme temperatures. The science part of the myth is frigid weather makes snowflakes light and fluffy and not wet and heavy. We generally get the same amount of snow each year.

"Crickets can tell you what the temperature is"

The myth goes that counting a cricket's chirps can be an indicator of the temperature. The rule says to count the chirps in 14 seconds and add 40 to get Fahrenheit. It’s more accurate on days in the mid-50s.

• READ MORE: What are The Unwritten Rules of Driving in Maine?

Myths and Technology

A lot of these myths are still as common today as ever. We now rely more on our phones and weather sites to tell us the forecast. Even though we use technology more these days, many of these myths are good ways to forecast the weather.

• ALSO READ: Things Mainers Forget They Love About Living Here

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