史蒂夫·努比　俞月圆

Long before the weather channel， our pioneer ancestors and native tribes looked for signs in nature to forecast the weather. The sky was their primary focus， but how the sky， air， and barometric pressure affected plants， animals， and people were also tell-tale signs.

Over time， simple sayings evolved to remind us of the weather to come， although some of them arent so accurate from a scientific standpoint.

Weather sayings from folklore：

Red sky at night， sailors delight; Red sky at morning， sailors take warning.

When ditch and pond offend the nose， look for rain and stormy blows.

Chimney smoke descends， our nice weather ends.

A ring around the sun or moon， means rain or snow coming soon.

Rainbows in the morning give you fair warning.

Its one thing to remember some old adages， but its easier to remember if you understand the science behind the sayings.

Reading the smoke

Smoke from a fire can give us some very direct clues about atmospheric pressure and the potential for good or bad weather.

Smoke rising

Rising smoke indicates a high-pressure area in the vicinity. High pressure is associated with fair weather and clear skies.

Smoke collapsing

When smoke collapses and curls， its indicative of a low-pressure system in the area. Indoors， the unexpected presence of wood smoke is another sign. Low pressure is associated with stormy weather.

Reading the sky

Red Sky at Night… is NOT a sailors delight！ This old adage is scientifically incorrect. The rotation of the Earth causes prevailing winds1 to come from the West. The sun sets in the West and a red sky indicates a significant cloud bank. Heavy clouds coming from the West with the prevailing winds is not a promise of delightful weather but the opposite.

Red Sky in Morning… is when sailors neednt take warning. Here again， the sun rises in the East and a red sky is due to cloud coverage. Those big clouds are receding from your location as the westerly prevailing winds carry them away from you.

Sun halos and moon halos

A ring around the sun or moon is referred to as a “Sun or Moon Halo.” Haloes are caused by high altitude ice-crystals in Cirrus clouds2. Because Cirrus clouds are a signal for impending rain， a ring around the moon usually means a warm front is coming， bringing rain with it. The same is true of sun haloes.

Reading rainbows

A rainbow in the western sky in the morning indicates rain. Here again， prevailing westerly winds will bring that moisture towards your location. The opposite is true for a rainbow in the East. The prevailing winds will move the moisture and rain away from you.

Reading the moon

A clear moon in a clear sky indicates no imminent3 moisture but could be a harbinger of cooler temperatures overnight and into the morning.

Scattered clouds across the Moon are a sign of moisture-laden clouds and often are a portent of rain.

Reading the flowers

Humidity strengthens smells in the air and fragrant flowers will be very noticeable as a result.

Wind

Wind is the result of high and low-pressure shifts in an area. As a rule， westerly winds indicate good weather if no clouds are apparent and easterly winds are an indication of bad weather. If youve ever heard of a NorEaster4， its due to this east wind condition.

Reading temperature

The cricket trick

A crickets metabolism changes in lockstep with5 temperature changes. Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 14 seconds and add 40 to that number. The resulting number approximates the temperature in Fahrenheit.

Reading the clouds

Reading cloud shape

Clouds that are high， white， and wispy indicate good weather while clouds that are low， thick， and dark mean stormy weather. Flat clouds mean the air is stable while fluffy clouds mean the air is unstable.

Reading cloud color

Clouds come in four flavors： white， gray， black， and brown. Each means something different.

Black clouds indicate a coming storm that does not have strong winds.

Brown clouds indicate a coming storm that has strong winds.

White clouds mean good weather， though a storm could be imminent.

Gray clouds indicate a new or a light storm. Gray skies can also mean that the storm is affecting a large area and may remain.

Reading altitude

High clouds usually mean that they are farther away but could become a weather threat up to 36 hours later. Lower clouds mean that bad weather is coming.

Movement

Gathering low clouds are a sign of bad weather. Rising and spreading clouds indicate the weather is clearing.

Reading the animals

Animals are very much in tune with nature and their instincts and response to conditions are a good indicator of weather to come.

Birds

Birds can sense air pressure patterns.

If you see birds eating during a storm， then it will likely last.

If you see flocks of birds migrating in the sky， the weather will likely be good.

When a storm is approaching， its believed that birds fly lower in the sky.

Frogs

The louder the frogs sing， the stronger the rain.

Turtles

Turtles head to higher ground before a storm. You may also see them on the road a day or two before a rain.

Snakes

If you see a snake in an unexpected place or time when the snake would typically be in its nest， bad weather is coming.

Butterflies and Bees

If you dont see bees and butterflies when and where you would expect to see them， there could be a storm coming.

Ants

Ants build up their mounds6 and create steep sides if theres a storm coming.

我们开疆拓土的先祖和土著部落居民早就会根据大自然中的迹象来预报天气，那会儿离天气频道的出现还早得很。他们主要看的是天空，但天空、空气和大气压对植物、动物与人类的影响也能表露天象。

久而久之，形成了一些简明易懂的说法，提醒我们天气会如何变化，尽管从科学的角度看，其中部分说法并不是那么准确。

有关天气的民谚：

晚霞水手喜，朝霞水手忧。

沟渠水臭，风雨临头。

烟囱冒烟往下走，晴好天气到了头。

日晕月晕，雨雪将临。

晨起有虹，如闻警钟。

记住一些旧时谚语是个办法，但如果能弄明白它们背后的科学原理，就会好记一些。

观烟

燃烧产生的烟能以十分直观的方式，提供关于气压和天气趋势的信息。

烟气上升

烟气上升，说明附近地区处于高气压区。高气压意味着天气晴好、天空明净。

烟气下沉

如果烟气下沉、卷曲，说明该地存在一个低压系统。室内突然闻到木柴燃烧的烟味，也是存在低压系统的信号。低气压会带来风暴。

观天

看到晚霞，水手可不会高兴！这条古老的谚语不符合科学事实。地球自转使西风成为盛行风。太阳从西边落下，红彤彤的天空说明空中云量丰富。从西边顺着盛行风飘来的大量云朵并不会带来让人开心的好天气，情况恰恰相反。

而如果出现了朝霞，水手并不需要有所警觉。和上面说的例子一样，太阳从东边升起，东边天空红彤彤是因为那里云量丰富。那些大块的云朵正在离你远去，是因为盛行西风正在将它们推向离你更远的地方。

日晕和月晕

太阳或月亮周围出现的环被称为“日晕”或“月晕”。出现“晕”是因为高海拔的卷云中有冰晶。由于卷云预示着很快要下雨，月亮周围出现光环通常说明携带雨水的暖锋即将过境。日晕的情况也一样。

观彩虹

早晨在西边的天空看到彩虹，说明要下雨了。与上面的例子同理，盛行西风会把西边的水汽向你所在的位置输送。如果东边出现彩虹，情况就正好相反。盛行风会推动水汽和雨离你远去。

观月

如果天空明净、月亮看得很清楚，说明空气中湿度不会太高，但这也可能预示着当天夜间到次日清晨将要降温。

如果疏落的云朵遮住了月亮，说明云中水汽已饱和，这通常是降雨的前兆。

观花

湿度升高后，空气中的味道会更强烈，花朵的芬芳也会十分明显。

风

风是某一地区气压高低变化的结果。一般来说，如果刮西风，又看不到多少云，说明会有好天气，而刮东风则意味着天气不好。你也许听说过“东北风暴”，它也源自这种刮东风的状况。

观测气温

借蟋蟀察气温

蟋蟀的新陈代谢与温度的变化有十分紧密的联系。数一数蟋蟀14秒以内鸣叫的次数，再加上40，差不多就是当前的华氏温度。

观云

观云形

如果云位置较高、颜色雪白、如丝如缕，说明接下来天气晴好;如果云位置较低、厚重、阴沉，说明暴风雨将要来临。云朵扁平，说明大气比较稳定，云朵蓬松，则说明大气不怎么稳定。

观云色

云朵可能有四种颜色：白色、灰色、黑色和棕色，每一种都预示着不同的天气状况。

黑色云说明暴雨即将来临，但不会有大风。

棕色云说明要有暴风雨，会刮强风。

白色云说明天气不错，不过也可能有一场暴雨正在迫近。

灰色云说明有一场新的风暴正在酝酿，或者风雨不强。天空呈灰色还可能意味着风雨影响范围很大，并有可能持续。

观云高

一般来说，海拔较高的云离得比较远。但到36个小时之后，天气也有可能会转差。云所处的海拔较低，意味着坏天气就要来了。

观云动

如果云在低处不断积聚，说明会有坏天气。云上升、散开，说明天气正在转晴。

观察动物

动物始终与大自然步调一致，了解它们的本能，观察它们对环境状况的反应，对预报天气很有帮助。

鸟类

鸟类能感觉到气压的变化。

如果看见鸟儿在风暴中吃东西，那这场风暴很可能将持续。

如果看见一群又一群鸟儿飞过天空，通常会有好天气。

如果暴风雨将要来临，一般来说鸟儿会低飞。

青蛙

蛙鸣越响，降雨越强。

乌龟

暴风雨之前，乌龟会往高处去。下雨之前一两天，你也许会在马路上看见它们。

蟒蛇

如果本该待在巢穴里的蟒蛇在某时某地意外出现，就要有坏天气了。

蝴蝶与蜜蜂

如果本该在某时某地出现的蜜蜂和蝴蝶没有现身，就该有坏天气了。

蚂蚁

如果暴風雨即将到来，蚂蚁会建起小土丘并在四周垒出陡坡。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 prevailing wind盛行风。地球南北半球的中纬地区为盛行西风带。

2 cirrus cloud卷云。  3 imminent迫近的;即将来临的。

4 生成于北大西洋的温带气旋，主要影响美国东北部、加拿大东部沿海等北美东岸地区。  5 in lockstep with步伐一致，形容有紧密的关联。

6 mound土丘，小土墩。