All you storm and weather witches listen up here, all of us secretly really get off on storms and that crackly energy in the air and the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning and the wild feeling of freedom. So we don’t want to be caught off guard when a sudden storm arrives and we haven’t got all the jars out or we’re in the middle of something right?
Well, here’s an updated list on how to tell when a storm’s coming your way:
cumulonimbus clouds - cumulonimbus clouds develop when cumulus clouds (pillowy, cotton wool-y, flat base) develop vertically or billow upwards. a cumulus cloud that turns into a cumulonimbus can develop into a powerful thunderstorm within an hour.
arcing “arcus” shelf clouds - these wedge-shaped clouds resemble a shelf, and can be described as rolling. these can also be a sign of foul weather incoming, especially if they’re turning darker.
cloud color - you may be thinking “well no shit Raven, dark clouds = stormy weather”, but well here’s dwelling into some specifics. Sure, very dark clouds mean the weather is going to turn stormy real quick, but did you know that green clouds mean severe weather? like those gray-greenish clouds that are very deep and tall? yeah those mean something big and mean is on its way. black clouds mean that there is a coming storm that does not have strong winds. brown clouds mean that there is a coming storm that does have strong winds. gray clouds usually mean a new or a light storm. however, gray skies mean that the storm is affecting a large area and may remain for awhile “red sky at night sailor’s delight, red sky in the morning sailors take warning” has some grain of truth to it too. red sky in the morning means bad weather is moving in.
take a deep inhale - it’s true, you can smell incoming rain. ah, nothing like the sharp, strippingly fresh smell of ozone before a storm. there’s a whole science behind this, and I can cover how some chemical reaction caused by an electrical charge like lightning or a generator involving atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen molecules splitting, but that’s not the point here. the point is, you can smell the ozone. sweet, pungent, a zing, sharp, bare, that’s my description for it. so get ready to use that nose of yours.
- halo around moon and sun:
high clouds will refract a ring of light around the moon or sun, a halo around the moon indicates that a warm front is approaching. like that saying “ring around the moon? rain real soon”. I’m using a lot of sayings, huh. double halo around the moon could mean strong winds.
- watch smoke from a fire
pressure determines which direction the smoke is gonna go. high pressure? smoke goes upwards. low pressure? smoke goes downwards. when smoke spirals downwards, bad weather’s on its way.
now, I live in an area where humidity is at a constant high, so this probably won’t work for me and everyone else who lives in high-humidity regions. but here goes. high humidity precedes a storm, so check for signs of humidity like frizzy hair, curly leaves, swollen wood, or just feel it.
if you’re out at night, the stars could be an indicator. the more stars you see, the clearer the skies are. no stars mean heavy cloud coverage and could signify coming storms.
- observe the birds and the animals
birds -birds can sense bad weather coming and they usually fly low or seek refuge before a storm, and they’ll go quiet. that’s part of the reason why it’s so oddly quiet before a storm.
butterflies and bees - they will usually return to their homes before a storm for safety so you probably won’t see them out and about.
adapted from my older (and jarringly slightly inaccurate) post on @sharpshootress. just as I posted this, a storm started right outside my window, how fitting.
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