31 July 2010

Prognostications for 2010

At least, according to the weather of southern New England.  By this method, the weather of each of the coming months can be determined by the weather of its equivalent day. 

Based on the Twelve Days of Christmas:
January     12/25   Sunny start, then overcast and cold, rumors of snow again.
February   12/26   So far the rumors of snow haven't materialized.  Overcast for much of the day, and a hint of warmth in the air.
March       12/27   Still  overcast.  Not very cold.
April         12/28   A sunny start to the day, then overcast again, with a slight amount of rain (not the showers that were forecast).
May          12/29   Sunny, with high winds all day.  Turning much colder.  If it weren't for the wind, it would be a nice, merely cold day.
June          12/30   Sunny and cool
July           12/31   Overcast.  Looks like rain coming.  Nope, it is snow.  All day.
August        1/1     Mix of  clouds and sun.  Warmer.
September  1/2     Snow!  More snow!  And cold, and high winds!  This doesn't bode well for September.
October      1/3     More snow, all day, but not very cold.
November  1/4     Cloudy, chilly, but no snow today.
December   1/5     Clear, sunny, cold.

Please note: there is some question about when the Twelve Days of Christmas actually start.  Based on another superstition ("As the weather is on the 2nd of January, so shall it be in September"), I've chosen to go with the period beginning Christmas Day and ending on the 5th of January.

Based on the first twelve days of January:

January        1/1     Mix of clouds and sun.  Warmer.
February      1/2     Snow!  More snow!  And cold, and high winds!
March          1/3     More snow, all  day, but not very cold.
April            1/4     Cloudy, chilly, but no snow today.
May             1/5     Clear, sunny, cold.
June             1/6     Clear, sunny, very cold.
July              1/7     Clear, sunny, not so cold as yesterday.
August         1/8     Overcast, snow flurries, chilly.
September   1/9      Bright sunshine and very cold.
October       1/10    Bright sunshine, a little less cold than yesterday.
November   1/11    Clear, bright, chilly.
December   1/12     Cloudy, with snow in the afternoon.

These predictions will also be found under the individual months.

Welcome to my Book of Days

Traditions, superstitions, weather lore... the year is full of them, along with holidays, holy days, and remembrance days.

For instance, one tradition is that the weather on each of the twelve days of Christmas forecasts the weather for the next twelve months.  An alternate tradition uses the period between the 1st and the 12th of January.  There are also the Ember Days, and some single days, such as Saint Swithin's (July 15), which are supposed to accurately predict the coming weather.

But weather isn't the only thing of which our ancestors wanted to have foreknowledge, and so I have added other superstitions and traditions pertinent to the year's celebrations.  My guests will also find recipes to aid in the celebrating, some astronomical data, links to pages of interest, and (because I am opinionated) my opinions.

Please note: This is all very lighthearted.  I enjoy seeing how accurate the predictions are (although it may take some real convolutions of the mind to base August's weather on that of January 8).  I also like to find reasons to celebrate.  If you have a comment or suggestion or something I can add to this list, please feel free to either use the comment box or my email.