What Is This World Coming To?

[Photoz]

Just takin' a browse through the Old Farmer's Almanac . . . . with exception of early December ( a couple days) they seem to have really gone to the dogs with their predictions?

 

 

December 2006

Avg. Temperature: -7°C (2° below avg.)

Precipitation: 20mm (20mm below avg.)

Dec. 1-3: Snow showers

Dec. 4-9: Snow, then sunny, very cold

Dec. 10-19: Snow, then sunny, seasonable

Dec. 20-25: Snow showers, cold

Dec. 26-31: Snow and ice

 

 

January 2007

Avg. Temperature: -11°C (2° below avg.)

Precipitation: 35mm (5mm below avg.)

Jan. 1-4: Snow showers, then sunny

Jan. 5-8: Rain and snow showers, mild

Jan. 9-12: Rain to snow, then sunny

Jan. 13-17: Snow, then sunny, cold

Jan. 18-20: Sunny, then rain; mild

Jan. 21-26: Snow, then sunny, very cold

Jan. 27-31: Snow, then sunny, mild

 

January looks . . . uh h h h . . . . interesting . . . . although their predictions are kinda vague, and open to translation, over-all, they're usually pretty close. Anybody else find any BETTER predictions? . . . . . geeze, even the resident weather guru (Vanselena) was way y y y off in HIS predictions . . . . very rare to ever see HIM wrong, eh?

[Rich]

Look on the bright side.. those carp are getting extra big for next spring.

Edited December 24, 2006 by Rich

[steve_paul]

Jan 21 - 26 - Snow, very cold.

 

Will be in Puerto Plata then so that one can be right

[Whopper]

Really don't know why the Almanac being off surprises ya when the weatherman usually can't get it right and day or two ahead at times.

 

I'm not complaining though, been out twice in the last week in a sweat shirt not bad for December.

 

 

Whopper

Edited December 24, 2006 by Whopper

[John Bacon]

January looks . . . uh h h h . . . . interesting . . . . although their predictions are kinda vague, and open to translation, over-all, they're usually pretty close. Anybody else find any BETTER predictions? . . . . . geeze, even the resident weather guru (Vanselena) was way y y y off in HIS predictions . . . . very rare to ever see HIM wrong, eh?

[/size]

 

Do regularly look at the Farmers Almanac predictions and compare them to what actually happens? I haven't myself. However, I do recall reading an article stating that their predictions are rarely accurate. If I recall correctly, the article said that they were accurate 11 times in the last 50 years.

 

I think that there is a romantic notion that people close to the land, such as farmers, can observe how many nuts a squirrel gathers and more accurately predict the weather than modern science. I don't think that there is actually any truth to it.

[Bob]

I don't think the squirrels know how many nuts they gather and I've read somewhere that they only find and use about half of them. Look for nests of paper wasps and see how high in the bushes they are. Snow doesn't usually get deep enough to bury them. Check the feed beds around beaver houses and you can tell by the size of them how long and cold they expect the winter to be. All kinds of ways but they don't always hold true. The Almanac is more often wrong than right.

[John Bacon]

I don't think the squirrels know how many nuts they gather and I've read somewhere that they only find and use about half of them. Look for nests of paper wasps and see how high in the bushes they are. Snow doesn't usually get deep enough to bury them. Check the feed beds around beaver houses and you can tell by the size of them how long and cold they expect the winter to be. All kinds of ways but they don't always hold true. The Almanac is more often wrong than right.

 

The paper wasps built a nest about seven feet of the ground above my garage. Should I be expecting six feet of snow in Scarborough?

[nautifish]

Talking about animals.

 

I was allways under the impression that the robins here flew south for the winter and that when they returned it was a sign of spring.

 

Well as it happens i have four robins that are still visiting my back garden everymorning. All four were yet again sat on my berry tree at the end of my deck.

 

So they are either stupid or this weather has just messed em up alltogeather, Heck yesterday i saw a possum crossing the road on xmas day. Cannot say i have ever seen that before either.

 

I agrre when someone said about the weather man never getting it right they don't.

 

As for nature. Hard to tell anymore because so many of them are messed themselves because our seasons are so out of whack now.

[Guest gbfisher]

Weather predictions....

 

VANS............where are you?...

 

 

 

[Bob]

Heh! I was referring to the wasps that nest in the bush. I'm sure that in an urban setting, they'd nest high enough not to be bothered by human activity on the ground. You never know though, from the newscasts the last few years, it seems you get more snow down there than we do up here. About 8 or 10 years ago, we had a total snowfall of over 13 feet through the winter but the last few years, we're nowhere near that. Still looking at green grass in the yard but it was cool enough today that they had the snow making machinery running at the ski hill.

[Photoz]

In the north end of the city where I deliver mail, (along the Don River Valley) the robins have stayed all winter for about 10 years . . . . I often see a large flock of them in the trees along my route, picking the berries, and many people put stuff out for them. It's just like the ducks & geese in this city . . . . when the winters were longer and colder, they ALL went south . . . . . until people started to feed 'em . . . . . . now there are nearly as many in winter as summer!

 

 

P. S.

I think Vans is out compiling more data to fine-tune & upgrade his prediction of ice huts on Simcoe by mid-December. Some of the Simcoe guys are considerin' puttin' pontoons on theirs! But, this'll give him a bit more time to get his flasher (which I'm patiently waiting for) on the store shelves . . . . . I'll letcha know when I see the first one!

[nautifish]

In the north end of the city where I deliver mail, (along the Don River Valley) the robins have stayed all winter for about 10 years . . . . I often see a large flock of them in the trees along my route, picking the berries, and many people put stuff out for them. It's just like the ducks & geese in this city . . . . when the winters were longer and colder, they ALL went south . . . . . until people started to feed 'em . . . . . . now there are nearly as many in winter as summer!

 

 

Have not seen one robin anywhere else around here photo not even down by any of the tribs i fish. My uncle lives out in the country has feeders every where lots of robins in the spring but not one to be seen around his place and he has not for a few months now. And he is only a 40 minute drive from me.

 

It is not

common to see robins in our neck of the woods this time of year.

[Fish Farmer]

If it doesn't get any colder, can you imagine the Black flys and the Mosquitoes in 07