by Farmers' Almanac Staff | Posted In: Seasonal, Weather, Weather Folklore

Spring has sprung! And while most of us are familiar with “April showers bring May flowers,” there are many weather folklore sayings associated with spring, which is a season notorious for wild, crazy weather. Have you heard any of these?

March

Is’t on St. Joseph’s day (19th) clear,

So follows a fertile year;

Is’t on St. Mary’s (25th) bright and clear,

Fertile is said to be the year.

April

If it thunders on All Fool’s Day, it brings good crops of corn and hay.

A cold May and a windy April, a full barn.

March’ll search ye, April try ye; May’ll tell, whether live or die ye.

If the oak is out before the ash then we are in for a splash;

But if the ash is out before the oak we are in for a soak.

But if the ash is out before the oak we are in for a soak. April cold and wet fills barn and barrel.

When April blows its horn

Then it stands good with hay, rye, and corn.

Then it stands good with hay, rye, and corn. A cold and moist April fills the cellar and fattens the cow

May

Hoar-frost on the 1st of May indicates a good harvest.

A dry May and a leaking June

Make the farmer whistle a merry tune.

Make the farmer whistle a merry tune. Look at your corn in May,

And you’ll come sorrowing away;

Look at it again in June,

And you’ll come singing another tune.

And you’ll come sorrowing away; Look at it again in June, And you’ll come singing another tune. A dewy morning brings a good haying day.

A heavy dew at night promises a good day to follow.

June

If June is sunny, the harvest will come early.

In June, when there is no dew, it indicates rain.

A cold and wet June spoils the rest of the year.

June, damp and warm, does a farmer no harm.

A good rain in June sets all in tune.

There’s lots more June weather lore sayings here!

And what’s spring without rain? These are the signs that foretell rain:

Rain before 7 – clear before 11.

Rain after 7 – rain all day.

Rain after 7 – rain all day. If it rains on the first Sunday of the month, every Sunday except one usually will be wet.

When the ants close up their hills, we will have rain in a day or two;

if the ant hills are open, it will continue to be fair.

if the ant hills are open, it will continue to be fair. When leaves turn over, it’s a sign of rain.

Variable wind indicates a coming storm.

When robins call loudly and steadily, it will rain soon.

Three foggy mornings and then a rain.

No dew in the morning indicates rain.

Low banks of haze in the south indicate rain.

Step on a spider and it will surely bring rain.

The louder the frog, the more the rain.

Heard of any other spring weather lore sayings? Share them with us!