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Click on today's infra-red satellite images, below, for full-size versions (images: Nottingham Univ)
Animated gifs & questions (275k) Africa & Europe || Asia/Australia || India & Africa (images: Dundee Univ)
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In Europe, a lot of weather lore is associated with the day Christians call Candlemas. In England, for example, it is said that:
If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight
If Candlemas brings cloud and rain, winter will not come again
In Scotland, it is said that:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be twa (two) winters in the year
If you are interested in weather lore, including Candlemas weather lore, the book for you is called Weather Lore and it's by Richard Inwards (4th edition, Rider & Co, 1950).
In North America, 2 February is widely known as Groundhog Day. The groundhog is an animal that is also known as a marmot. It is said that it wakes from hibernation on 2 February and peeps out of its winter quarters. If it sees its shadow, so it is said, it retreats into its burrow and stays there for another six weeks. If the day is cloudy, it emerges from its burrow and remains out, believing that the rest of the winter will be mild.
How accurate are the Candlemas and Groundhog Day forecasts? According to the Stormfax Weather Almanac, the groundhog's seasonal forecasting accuracy is rather low! Chris Jackson of the MetLink school in Edmonton, Canada, tells us that Wee Willie, the groundhog in Wiarton, Ontario, saw his shadow today, but Balzac Billy, the Alberta groundhog, hasn't been heard of yet!
What was the weather like in your part of the world today? Why not check to see if the weather today was any guide to the weather of the next six weeks. Is there any lore associated with the weather on 2 February outside Europe and North America? Please let us know.
What effect does the weather have on you? Over many parts of England and Wales today, there was quite a lot of sunshine. I don't know about you, but I felt much more cheerful than on recent days, when we had miserable, cloudy, windy weather with rain. Quite unlike those groundhogs, I felt I wanted to be out of doors. I didn't want to retreat into my office or house and stay there for the next six weeks.
How does weather affect you? Would you rather be in the warmth and sunshine of Ascension Island, Africa, Oman, India or Australia, or would you rather be in the snowy Arctic? Do those of you who live in the tropics and sub-tropics wish you had snow? What weather do you like best, and why? How does the weather affect your lives?
In the Christian calendar, today was Candlemas. To many people, whether Christians or not, today was Groundhog Day.
Weather lore is associated with 2 February. In England, for example, it is said that:
If Candlemas be fair and bright, winter has another flight
If Candlemas brings cloud and rain, winter will not come again
In Scotland, it is said that:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be twa (two) winters in the year
In North America, 2 February is widely known as Groundhog Day. It is said that the groundhog wakes from hibernation on this day and emerges from its winter quarters. If it sees its shadow, so it is said, it retreats into its burrow and goes to sleep for another six weeks. If the day is cloudy, it emerges from its burrow and remains out, believing that the rest of the winter will be mild.
How accurate are the Candlemas and Groundhog Day forecasts? According to the Stormfax Weather Almanac, the groundhog's seasonal forecasting accuracy is rather low! Chris Jackson of the MetLink school in Edmonton, Canada, tells us that Wee Willie, the groundhog in Wiarton, Ontario, saw his shadow today, but Balzac Billy, the Alberta groundhog, hasn't been heard of yet!
