How to Tell If It Is Going to Storm

If a tornado siren sounds, it is a clear warning that you should immediately take shelter in a basement or another room without windows. There are many other ways that you can tell if it is going to storm. Some rely on modern technology and others hearken back to old folk lore. Here is a list of signs that you can use to tell if it is going to storm soon. While some of the signs will be more available to people who live in the country, everyone can learn to understand and utilize them.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Sign up for weather alerts to be sent to your email, instant messenger, or mobile phone by going to weather.yahoo.com. Then click on “Alerts” and designate the places for which you would like to receive warnings about when it is going to storm.

2. Listen to the radio or watch local television stations to tell if it is going to storm. These broadcasters suspend their regularly scheduled programs to alert the audience of bulletins about imminently approaching storms or other severe weather.

3. Check if the blooms on dandelions are open if it is spring or summer. These flowers close up if it is going to storm. Pine cones also can be used as predictors of bad weather. If there is a lot of humidity (it is more likely to storm than if it is dry), the pine cone will display more space between the rows of seeds. In other words, the pine cone looks more open if it is humid and more closed if it is dry. If a storm is coming, the leaves on some trees turn upside down.

4. Consider how the farm animals are behaving as you drive by the pastures along the highway. If it is going to storm, cows will huddle closely together. The closer they are to each other, the worse the weather is likely to be. When they lie very near each other you can expect that it is going to storm. Pigs typically behave restlessly if there is going to be a wind storm. Bees don’t come out of their hives on days which are cloudy or if they think it is going to thunder.

5. Evaluate the signs in the sky to tell if it is going to storm. If the moon seems to have a halo around it, there may be a rainstorm or a snow storm in the offing. If there is a red sky in the morning, there may be a storm before the end of the day. If the sky darkens suddenly, a storm is very close. If the darkening sky has a greenish tinge, there may be a tornado coming. Accumulating clouds can also tell us if it is going to storm. If you hear a sound like a locomotive, take shelter right away because there is probably a severe storm or tornado very close to where you are.