True or False?

T  or  F?

1. A red sky at night means fair weather the next day.

2. A red sky in the morning means foul weather that day.

3. A gray sky at night means it will rain the next day.

4. A bad winter is betide, if hair grows thick on a bear's hide.

5. Igniting small red firecrackers brings rain.

6. When the dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass.

7. If you can see clear, rain is near.

8. If it rains on the day you are wed, it is a sign many tears will be shed.

9. Year of snow, crops will grow

10. Hard-working ants mean that rain is on the way.

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ANSWERS (Keep Out-- Unless You've Answered)

True or False?

a

 1. To some extent, this is true. The saying actually goes: "Red sky at night, sailors delight." Since most of the weather approaches from the West, a red sunset (which only hapens when the skies are clear) usually means fine weather. However, when the weather doesn't come from the West, this saying doesn't hold true.

a

 2. This is almost never a true statement. The actual saying is: "Red sky in morning, sailors take warning." Red morning skies show us that the sky is clear to the east is clear. However, most of the weather comes from the west, so this doesn't really tell you anything.

a

 3. This is basically always true. If the sky is gray, it means that the sky is heavy with water droplets that will fall. The rain will probably come the next day when it arrives from the rest. This saying holds true: "Gray evening sky, not one day dry."
a 4. As information gets passed down, sometimes its more important to rhyme than to tell the truth. In any case, this is false. If an animal has a heavy coat, it is a better indicator that the previous summer was a good one.
a 5. This is also false because firecrackers have nothing to do with the weather. This old myth comes from the Chinese.

a

 6. Dew is formed when the air is chilled after sundown as the earth gives up its heat. To form, there must not be any clouds or wind, conditions for fair weather. The opposite is also true: "When grass is dry at morning light, look for rain before the night."

a

 7. When the pressure is high, air is relatively static and filled with dust, so your vision is impaired. As a storm approaches, the atmosphere clears and you can see more detail than normal. The thinning air also makes objects appear closer than normal. Sailors say: "The farther the sight, the nearer the rain."
a 8. Need we say more?
a 9. As the Russian farmers put it: "Corn is as comfortable under snow as an old man is under his fur cloak." Snow that lies on the ground is fine for the crops. It is early frosts that kill the crops.

a

 10. Many animals and insects are good indicators of the weather. When there is good weather, ants are scattered in their ways, but when rain is approaching, all the ants march single-file. They busy themselves building and reinforcing their nests, and when rain is near the entrances to anthills are closed. One way to put it is: "If ants their walls do frequent build, rain will from the clouds be spilled."