|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 33
newbie
|
OP
newbie
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 33 |
In my family when anyone saw cows lying down they would say "It is going to rain." My wife from Minnesotta thought it was nonsense and just a family myth. At the time we lived in West Virginia. Now, 30 years later, we live in NC. Recently my wife and I and a friend of hers from the Pennsylvania Dutch country were driving back from Surf City NC and as we passed a heard of prone cows my wife teasingly said "the cows are lying down." To which her friend replied "It is going to rain." We were both astonished! I have e-mailed people all over the place and the only people who seem to know the expression are from Pennsylvania. Since my Grandfather was also from the Pennsylvania Dutch country, I wonder if that is the exclusive source of the expression. Any one have any ideas on this?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
It's not publicized, but, did you notice that the weather forecast always gives the percent chance of rain in even multiples of 10%? You never hear that there's a one in three chance of rain. The local weather bureaus are each given 10 cows and they count the number that are lying down to determine the chance of rain. Sometimes, in the smaller market weather areas, you'll notice that it's always even multiples of 20%. Those bureaus only get five cows.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 33
newbie
|
|
OP
newbie
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 33 |
"The local weather bureaus are each given 10 cows ... "
Where is local for you?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
When cows have grazed enough, they lie down to ruminate.
This is happens every day, so indeed they will be seen lying down before a rain shower. But even more often when it does not shower.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 33
newbie
|
|
OP
newbie
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 33 |
Oh I did not believe that the saying was true I just wondered how wide spread it was and where it originated.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
well, I grew up in South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska(go Vikings!), and my family always said that. now I've been in Vermont for nearly 20 years, and it's said here, too. it's true, too!  as for Faldage's bovinity....well, what can anyone say, but: moo.
formerly known as etaoin...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 67
journeyman
|
|
journeyman
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 67 |
"Sometimes, in the smaller market weather areas, you'll notice that it's always even multiples of 20%. Those bureaus only get five cows." So is it possible that in some really large 'market weather areas' (whatever that means) they're given a hundred cows... That should enable them to predict say, a seventy-three percent chance of rain... OTOH, if in some really small market weather areas, they're given only three cows, they should be able to predict one in three chance of rain... Just wanderin'...
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189 |
OTOH, in the area of Ithaca, NY, when the flying squirrels don't fly they say "it must be going to rain, the squirrels are out of nuts." [just some petty pet stuff, eh, Faldo?  ] And then sometimes these non-flying flying squirrels shanghai a residence and cause the inhabitats to muse the meteorological percentages of counting cows. But, in Ithaca, the cows usually lay down before it snows! 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear WO'N: the trouble with flying squirrels as weather prophets is that they are nocturnal.
I used to have a dog that could tell me when a thunderstorm was coming. He could hear it half an hour before I could. But sometimes I could hear it before he could, as static on my shortwave radio.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
A) I don't believe flying squirrels eat nuts.
2) Nope. It's ten cows, max. This is federally funded, remember. They issue five cows to the smaller markets because federally funded studies have shown that there is less weather in the smaller markets.
and
Þ) Whether there's no rain more often than there's rain depends on where you are. Here in sunny Ithaca we have a saying: If you can see Cayuga Lake it's going to rain; if you can't see Cayuga Lake it is raining.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,810
Members9,187
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
520
guests, and
1
robot. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
