What are Ember Days? Folklore, Old Farmer's Almanac say they could predict summer weather

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Ever heard of Ember Days? Some churches use the week following a holy day for prayer, giving thanks and fasting.
But according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, folklore holds that the Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays following four holidays each year can predict the next three months' weather.
Here's what to know about Ember Days, when they fall this year and what the Old Farmer's Almanac says Mississippi can expect from summer weather in 2025.
The first day of the astronomical season is Friday, June 20, 2025. Summer kicks off each year with the solstice, or longest day, and that can be June 20, 21 or 22.
Meteorologists use June 1 as the first day of summer.
Many Catholics and Anglicans observe Ember Days to mark the passing of the seasons, according to Old Farmer's Almanac.
The Ember Days are the Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays following four specific holy days each year: Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, the Feast of the Holy Cross and the Feast of St. Lucy.
Pentecost will be celebrated Sunday, June 8.
It's based around Jesus Christ being betrayed on a Wednesday, crucified on a Friday and entombed on a Saturday, according to the almanac.
In folklore, each Ember Day predicts the weather for a month in the upcoming season. Other superstitions include that it's unlucky to wash on an Ember Day, and rain on one brings three weeks of more precipitation.
The upcoming Ember Days are:
Summer: June 11, 13 and 14.
Fall: Sept. 17, 19 and 20.
Winter: Dec. 17, 19 and 20.
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It's early to get an accurate forecast ahead of the June Ember Days.
In its daily outlook, AccuWeather calls for rain in Jackson on all three dates, as of June 5. The following week has some clouds and storms, but most of the rest of the month looks sunny.
June 11: High of 83, low of 68. A cloudy morning with afternoon thunderstorms.
June 13: High of 89, low of 70. Cloudy and humid with thunderstorms later in the day.
June 14: High of 86, low of 73. Sun and clouds with a strong thunderstorm in the morning and more in the afternoon.
The Old Farmer's Almanac defines the Deep South (Region 8) as Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. Temperatures are expected to be "significantly higher" than usual.
Overall, the almanac expects the region to get less rain than usual and advises preparing for a heat wave early.
Hot enough for ya'? Here are all-time record high temperatures from around Mississippi
The Atlantic hurricane season started June 1, and the Old Farmer's Almanac plans to update its forecast in the coming weeks.
But the long-range forecast calls for people along the Gulf Coast to watch for tropical storms in mid-July. They say the highest chance of a hurricane hitting Louisiana will be in late August.
According to the AccuWeather early forecast map for the Atlantic hurricane season, yes. It's possible the Magnolia State could be affected by the 2025 hurricane season.
A map of potential landfall locations shows three spots where hurricanes might make landfall and affect Mississippi. One appears to be on the coast, along the border with Louisiana.
Another two are low on the toe of the Louisiana boot. A hurricane path heading northeast from those points would likely go through Mississippi.
But remember that landfall isn't the only worry with a hurricane. Storm surges, wind, flooding and tornadoes can pair with a storm well into its journey over landlocked areas.
Mississippi weather See AccuWeather 2025 hurricane season forecast, know what to expect in Mississippi, see storm names
In an internal review of how well they predicted the 2023-24 winter, the almanac gave itself about an 80% accuracy rate. They say they're looking at long-range predictions to help people like farmers, gardeners and event planners make decisions in advance, not give an accurate day-to-day weather forecast.
The Old Farmer's Almanac has helped people plan their year since 1792, and a University of Illinois study of the almanac's accuracy published in 1981 found only about 50% accuracy for rain and precipitation forecasts over five years.
For winter 2024-25, they predicted an Artic blast for late January and early February. We did have several days of brutal cold and historic snow along the Gulf coast, but it happened earlier in the year.
The forecasters look at "science, climatology and meteorology." They compare temperature and precipitation to a rolling 30-year average to predict based on trends.
In addition to solar activity, they're watching:
The La Niña phase of the ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation).
A warm Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO.
A cool Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO).
Stratospheric winds around the equator called the the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO).
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Folklore, Old Farmer's Almanac: Ember Days will predict summer weather