Folk tales about animals indicating weather?

[RockAndSage]

There are a lot of folk tales about animals predicting weather or seasonal conditions, but most just don't seem to pan out. However, I do know of two that seem to have some truth to them. So, I'm putting this out there to see if anyone else has any animal, plant, or insect indicators they've heard that do seem to have some validity.

The first I can share, was personally seeing a news story about a week or two before Hurricane Katrina hit, where an old Louisiana guy was saying that the higher the turtles nest on any given year, the worse the hurricane season would be. That year he said he was concerned, because the turtles were nesting as high as they possibly could.

The second was that in 1862, California's central valley and the mountains around it got hit with so much flooding that the entire valley essentially turned into a giant lake for a few months. It also happens cyclically, about every 150 years or so. In 1862 over 4000 people died. I've read several accounts of the Indians in lower foothill communities warning of it coming, and relocating to higher ground because of it, well before the flooding hit. I want to say it had something to do with either pine cones or squirrel behaviors that were their warning, but can't remember. Their relocation was documented by several sources though.

Anyone else have anything like this?

 

[survivalistd]

My Malamute was going crazy 1/2 hour before our last earthquake hit. We didn't know what he was telling us. I thought another bear came down the driveway. Animals are smart!

 

[RockAndSage]

My Malamute was going crazy 1/2 hour before our last earthquake hit. We didn't know what he was telling us. I thought another bear came down the driveway. Animals are smart!

Good one. That caused me to remember another one - apparently the rate of ads for lost pets starts jumping a few days to a week before big earthquakes. Enough that there's someone out there actually monitoring it. Can't remember who, but it seems to be a pattern, where some cats especially but dogs too will take off if they can. No idea if they come back.

 

[TxxAgg]

Tagged. Interesting thread.

 

[Pescetism]

I wouldn't call it a long range forecast but our dog can definitely tell that a thunderstorm is coming sooner than we can, assuming we don't check the radar of course. Seems that most domesticated animals, especially animals that spend the majority of their life indoors, visibly react to mild-moderately bad weather more often than wildlife.

 

[rookieforever33]

I had a dog that DID NOT like thunderstorms. She definitely acted different well before we could tell the storm was imminent.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Our dogs have acted weird prior to earthquakes, storms not so much. One of the strangest things I have witnessed on a few occasion was when friends or family members who had cancer came over to visit and our dogs would not go near them. We have had two dogs who really like females but neither would go near them. The first time it happened was when my sister who had pancreatic cancer came to visit, our over friendly Brussels Griffon who especially loved females stayed way away from her during her week long visit. She passed away shortly after returning. home.

 

[highcountrymuley]

Those weird long fish that wash up on shore before earthquakes/ tsunamis come to mind... I think most mammals react to the low atmospheric pressure of a storm and feed alot before the storm hits.

 

[TaperPin]

I have told a few city kids that if a bull’s pecker is sticking out 1/2” it means the atmospheric pressure is dropping and if it’s not sticking out at all the pressure is increasing. But that was just to get a laugh watching them looking at the undercarriage of bulls.

 

[Ten Bears]

Not storm related but animal related in that they sense things.

My GSP started moaning and pushing his head into me when I had a stroke. It was a feeling like I never had before but was manageable. His behavior is what made me head to the hospital.

Same dog. We were at a hotel in Lexington Kentucky. Dog was shaking in the corner staring at the unknown. Tried calming him down, he went and tried to hide behind the toilet. Was so freaked out that he tore the toilet of the mounts.

I asked the front desk if they were any ghosts at the hotel, she laughed and said multiple ghost chasers came to the property over the years. Apparently a woman was killed in the hallway outside our room.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

In my post #7, one of the dogs who would not go near people with cancer was a GSP.

 

[RockAndSage]

Those weird long fish that wash up on shore before earthquakes/ tsunamis come to mind... I think most mammals react to the low atmospheric pressure of a storm and feed alot before the storm hits.

Looked that one up - think you're talking about the Oarfish?

 

[Jaker_cc]

Nothing that predicts weather, but I always heard that if you saw a tarantula crossing the road to the high side it was about to rain. Also when I was a kid I was told that if you catch a lizard and stick him upside down on a yucca it would rain.

 

[z987k]

Our dogs have acted weird prior to earthquakes, storms not so much. One of the strangest things I have witnessed on a few occasion was when friends or family members who had cancer came over to visit and our dogs would not go near them. We have had two dogs who really like females but neither would go near them. The first time it happened was when my sister who had pancreatic cancer came to visit, our over friendly Brussels Griffon who especially loved females stayed way away from her during her week long visit. She passed away shortly after returning. home.

I think the dogs notice the p waves that we don't most of the time. But we're talking under a minute to just a second or two.

 

[AZ8]

When I was a kid, an old rancher once told me that if the cows are laying down, a storm is coming and to head home! Sure enough, every time I saw them, it rained soon after.

Only when I got older I realized the cows were always laying down, all day, resting and chewing their cud! lmao!

 

[StuckoYota99]

 

[jwatts]

When I was a kid, an old rancher once told me that if the cows are laying down, a storm is coming and to head home! Sure enough, every time I saw them, it rained soon after.

Only when I got older I realized the cows were always laying down, all day, resting and chewing their cud! lmao!

I was always told that if the cows were in a group or bunched up against the fence or under the trees it was gonna rain.

 

[Iowafarmer]

I’ve often heard the buzzards won’t come back north until after the last snow but I can say that is BS

 

[2ski]

There are a lot of folk tales about animals predicting weather or seasonal conditions, but most just don't seem to pan out. However, I do know of two that seem to have some truth to them. So, I'm putting this out there to see if anyone else has any animal, plant, or insect indicators they've heard that do seem to have some validity.

The first I can share, was personally seeing a news story about a week or two before Hurricane Katrina hit, where an old Louisiana guy was saying that the higher the turtles nest on any given year, the worse the hurricane season would be. That year he said he was concerned, because the turtles were nesting as high as they possibly could.

The second was that in 1862, California's central valley and the mountains around it got hit with so much flooding that the entire valley essentially turned into a giant lake for a few months. It also happens cyclically, about every 150 years or so. In 1862 over 4000 people died. I've read several accounts of the Indians in lower foothill communities warning of it coming, and relocating to higher ground because of it, well before the flooding hit. I want to say it had something to do with either pine cones or squirrel behaviors that were their warning, but can't remember. Their relocation was documented by several sources though.

Anyone else have anything like this?

So CA is due for another because we're over 150 years since that last one. And also if it's every 150 years, that's several generations in between floods so the fact that they were able to compile the information to be able to decide that? I mean if you notice something 3 times in a row, I get it. But I'm not saying it's not, just I'm not sure how.

 

[wytx]

Used to hear that if a yucca plant was tall it meant deep snow for winter.