The BBC posted a cool article on six common "weather nursery rhymes". The article includes what they mean and the science behind how they work. My favorites included:
- "Red sky at night, shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" (As a child, I learned this one as sailor)
- "In the morning mountains, in the afternoon fountains" (storm clouds growing in the morning may lead to rain in the afternoon)
- "If a circle forms 'round the moon, 'twill rain or snow soon"
- "Cold night stars bright" (cloudless nights are exceptionally cold)
Below are three nursery rhymes I remember from some of my books on sailing:
- “Wind before rain, set sails again - rain before wind, bring her in”
- “First rise after low, foretells a stronger blow” (refers to how some of the windiest conditions occur after the barometer falls, then starts to rise again)
- “Mackerel skies and mares’ tails, make tall ships carry low sails” (refers to how certain cloud patterns are indicators of high winds or stormy weather)
