Traditional German weather wisdom

"Der April macht was er will": German weather lore has it that "April does what it wants." In fact, April is a bit of a moody month, sunshine one moment and a thunderstorm or even snow the next. English-language weather wisdom has it that "April showers bring May flowers." The term "showers" is tell-tale and ties in with the German proverb of a volatile month.

"Red sky at night, shepherds' delight — red sky in the morning, shepherds take warning" is one of the best known weather proverbs. The German version (Abendrot, Schönwetterbot) is similar— red skies at sunrise or sunset are harbingers of vastly different conditions. The first part of the prediction is often true as weather in this part of the world often comes from the west.

"Mairegen bringt Segen" literally means rain in May is a blessing. The English proverb goes "Cold wet May, barn full of hay." That may contradict the notion of the merry month of May, but farmers and anyone who calls a garden their own will appreciate the occasional drenching shower.

One swallow does not a summer make, or as the very same German proverb goes, "Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer." The migratory birds do return to Europe at the start of summer, but seeing just one of them swoop by is not the signal to don shorts and flip-flops just yet; it could be an isolated incident.

Ever heard of the dog days of summer? In Germany, they are the four weeks beginning around July 23. Farmers' lore had it that "Dog days bright and clear indicate a happy year – but when accompanied by rain, for better times our hopes are in vain." German has the same idiom, the summer period is known as "Hundstage." Rain or shine mattered, as it would determine the outcome of the fall harvest.

"Viel Morgentau macht den Himmel blau" (Much morning dew makes for blue skies) is the German equivalent of "dew on the grass, no rain will come to pass." The proverb seems to point out a truth about the existence of dew — tiny beads of condensation — in the early morning hours. If a high pressure system is at work, fair weather is on hand.

A halo around the moon, which is caused by light refracting through the ice crystals that make up the wispy cirrus clouds, portends rain, according to weather lore in both English and German ("Wenn der Mond hat einen Ring, folgt der Regen allerdings": If the moon has a ring, rain will follow). Cirrus clouds actually do often herald a low pressure system.

According to German farmers' almanachs, if spiders move indoors, winter is on their heels ("Ziehen die Spinnen ins Gemach, kommt gleich der Winter nach"). Spiders, insects and other animals are believed to react to changes in atmospheric pressure — some scamper for shelter. The huge spiders in the photo above decorated the White House on Halloween in 2017 — and are immune to cold weather.