Midges, dogs, spiders, and fog were all once used to predict weather

Irish Examiner

05-06-2025

Dare we say it… people — especially farmers, gardeners, and those responsible for public water supplies — welcomed recent rain after the long, dry warm spell.
Trees, plants and flowers look greener and healthier after a good dose of 'soft' rain seeping into the roots... far better than hydrating with treated water which contains chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine.
Now, I hear people wondering aloud, with sighs of trepidation: 'Have we had our summer?".
It's far too soon, however, to be thinking that way as most of the summer is still to come.
Though reluctant to confidently make exact weather predictions for more than a week ahead, due to the 'chaotic nature of the atmosphere', Met Eireann gives seasonal forecasts.
For June, July and August, the outlook is for above average temperatures, with average rainfall overall. Temperatures are likely to trend between 0.5 and 1.0°C above average generally for the three-month period, possibly better in the south and east.
Summer cloudburst: folklore had it that a halo around the moon meant bad weather; a red sunset the opposite. A north wind in summer and fog rising in the hills were good portents; while a dog eating grass, a cat sitting with its back to the fire and soot falling from the chimney signalled rain.
The rainfall forecast is less certain with the potential for both wetter and drier periods. There is a signal for wetter than average conditions in June, and drier than average in August, with July hard to call either way.
Sea surface temperatures around coasts and over the Atlantic to the west and south are expected to be above average in the period, says Met Eireann.
All of which brings us to age-old weather folklore which people, particularly farmers, once depended on. Problem with that, however, was that much of it amounted to very short-term, sometimes almost immediate, forecasts.
In summers long ago, when midges were active on humid summer evenings, or ants began to appear in large numbers, our elders told us rain way was surely on the way. And it invariably was.
An example of weather lore on dúchas.ie
How people attempted to foretell the weather from natural signs features in the Dúchas national schools folklore collection. For instance, a halo around the moon meant bad weather; a red sunset the opposite.
A north wind in summer and fog rising in the hills were good portents; while a dog eating grass, a cat sitting with its back to the fire and soot falling from the chimney signalled rain.
'Another sign of rain is when spiders leave their cobwebs," noted Jeremiah McAuliffe, a pupil in Ballyhass National School, Mallow, County Cork.
Nowadays, we rely on science. Monthly forecasts, which are improving in accuracy, can provide an insight into weather patterns in the month ahead: will it be colder than average, wetter than average?
Such forecasts should not be used for specific planning purposes, but can forewarn the likelihood of severe weather, enabling planned action to protect life and property.