Weather Proverbs – a truth

Have you ever heard of the saying, “March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb”?

While the saying most likely started as a reference to astronomy, referencing the position of the constellations Leo (a lion) and Aries (a ram, or lamb) in the night sky — it quickly evolved into a succinct summation of March’s changing weather as the seasons change from winter to spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

Like many proverbs  it can be traced back to Thomas Fuller’s 1732 compendium, “Gnomologia; Adagies and Proverbs; Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Ancient and Modern, Foreign and British.” Fuller compiled numerous proverbs and studied weather lore across many countries through the late 1600s and early 1700s.

North American colonists realized that the New World’s weather pattern was much like their native lands across England and surrounding countries, where extreme weather shifts could profoundly affect their livelihoods from one week to the next.
The Northern Hemisphere shares the same jet stream, providing similar swings in weather, in America as they do across Europe.

In Scotland they say, “March comes in with adders’ heads and goes out with peacocks’ tails.” An Adder is Scotland’s sole venomous snake. A timid creature and unlikely to bite unless threatened. Again, showing a feared image of winter, with the beauty and splendor the weather at the end of March can bring.

In the Netherlands, they say; “Maart roert zijn staart,” which means “March stirs its tail” — evidence of the variety and extremes that can come day to day this time of year.

Weather proverbs also originate from days gone by from almost every country in the world. But, only those with similar weather patterns usually hold true where you live.

As March closes – we can welcome the gentle kiss of
“April Showers which bring May Flowers”!

A Thank You to CNN online.