Looking At Weather Myths. Are Any True?

Before modern weather prediction, people here in North Dakota and all over the world have relied on a variety of methods to forecast what was on the horizon, especially for the winter.

Here are 5 winter weather myths we took a look at to see if there is any truth behind them.

1. FOGGY CONDITIONS MEANS MOISTURE IS AHEAD

MYTH: One old wives' tale says that every foggy August day equates to a day of snowfall in the coming winter, as well as fog in the winter equates to rain coming in the spring.

FACT: The rain 90 days after fog legend is a pure myth. Fall and spring times are generally more conducive to rainy weather, but there is no 1 to 1 correlation between the fog like we have been seeing lately and what is going to happen in early April.

2. COVER YOUR HEAD

MYTH: Another old wives' tale that has been taught in schools and safety training's is that up to 90% of the heat from your body escapes from your head, making it the most important thing to cover up when the temperatures dip.

FACT: You do not lose most of your body heat through the head. This myth most likely came from experiments in the 1950s, when military researchers exposed subjects to frigid temperatures. In reality only around 7% of your body heat escapes from your head, but you should still cover up to protect your ears, skin, as well as staying stylish.

3. FEEL IT IN YOUR BONES

MYTH: Some people are able to feel weather changes in their bones, and get an early warning that a storm is on the horizon.

FACT: Actually it's true, and here's why. Changes in barometric pressure and temperature can dramatically affect our bodies, especially if we have arthritis. Therefore, you can feel the weather in your bones.

4. IS COLOR THE KEY?

MYTH: Some people believe that the brighter the leaves are in the fall, the snowier and colder the coming winter will be. Leaf color is actually determined by several things, like the amount of moisture received during the growing season. However, once the days get shorter and the temperatures drop in the fall, the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves decreases, causing the changes in leaf colors we see in the fall.

FACT: Not true, If there are frequent extreme weather changes early enough, the leaves might not last on the trees long enough before they’ve had the time to change. The brightest, longer-lasting fall colors usually happen during periods of dry and calm sunny days through late summer and cool, clear, frost-free fall nights, and not a harbinger of what is to come.

5. PIG SPLEEN PREDICTING

MYTH: This one comes from our neighbors in Canada. Some people believe you can get an accurate 6-month forecast from examining the spleen of a pig. The spleen is examined to forecast the coming weather. It is divided into six sections representing the coming six months, and changes in thickness forecast changes in weather.

FACT: You'd be better off reading poutine to tell your fortune.

While these may be good intentioned methods of trying to predict the weather, it is important to get your weather information from from reliable sources. Our local weather expert from KX News Amber Wheeler suggests that you use multiple outlet such as KX and the National Weather service.