By Allen Hamrick
The last few weeks have been nearly unbearable with the high humidity and extreme temperatures. We have heard many, “Why, it’s so humid I could make a shirt out of this air” complaints, and people genuinely seem miserable. Hardware stores have seen a rise in shower stalls and air conditioner purchases, and even those that only bathe on Saturday started showering two and three times a week. People are scrambling for the nearest water hole to soak their heads and are spending every chance they get near or on water. The one question asked a lot is, “Why is it hot enough to call our mountain state West Tahiti Virginia?”
There is no need to watch the TV weather forecasters to catch a glimmer of hope. I do believe they relish the weather drama, as proven when they are asked when we will get relief, they simply and evilly reply, “Not anytime soon I’m afraid,” with a smirky smile. Currently, they are giving no hope any time soon for the fresh cool air that West Virginians are longing for.
The scientific reason for the heat and the humidity is that West Virginia summers are hot and sultry, especially during the time from the first days of July until the middle of August when the dog star, Sirius, in the constellation Canis Major rears its bright head. This means that dog days are in full bloom, and it’s going to be hot. So, it’s a natural phenomenon they say, scientifically speaking, and you can believe it if the science proves it …right?
Since modern technology is supposed to be the sounding board for the truth, why can’t meteorologists tell us when the cool air is going to arrive or at least when the wet air will leave our area? The answer, I believe, is they just can’t pass up a good weather drama and play it until the end, simple as that. Most of America has been tuned in every night to see the weather forecasters spin their crystal ball all while slinging their best opinions as to how we should adjust our plans for the next day. Thank goodness they have brains, and we have listening ears.
Well, there may be a better way than using the reaches of modern science. There is always the rock method, and it’s easily portable and simple; a cave man can do it. Place a rock outside – if it’s wet, it’s raining, and if it’s dry, it’s not raining. If there is snow on the rock, it’s snowing, and if it’s too hot to pick up, damp and the sun is shining, chances are its very humid or a dog used it for a fire hydrant. If the rock is gone, there is high winds, and if you can’t see it, it’s most likely dark.
Here locally, I interviewed a few grannies, and one of the prerequisites was they had to be 85 to 95 years young or lived through at least 12 presidents. All had varying degrees of weather folklore. One common sign is if a rooster crows at night, he will have a wet head in the mornin’. Another favorite predictor is if a circle is around the moon, it will rain soon. When sounds travel far and wide, a stormy day will be on the tide. There are many more prognosticators, from cattle to roaches to groundhogs. However, all agreed on one old-time recipe for telling the weather and that was to watch the birds, not just one bird but all types of birds.
The question was, “How do the birds let you know the end of the humidity?” The answer is simple – when you start hearing the birds singing in the thorn bushes and the trees, it’s going to be far less humid. When the birds are sticking low to the ground, this means that the air above is still too unstable for flight so expect storms and continued high humid conditions. When you don’t hear the birds singing, not even a little bit, they are nestled in until the weather improves. One other favorite saying is when you see the goats stop flapping their ears, it means that the humid hot conditions are getting better.
While you may not believe these types of weather predictions due to the highly educated meteorologists telling you they are not reliable, remember they just might lose a job if folks go back to believing nature. So, I took notes and watched, and it is indeed a fact that the birds are laying low, even the crows are not flying high but sticking close to the ground. Buzzards are low in the trees and tell me the last time you saw birds in the sky or heard them singing. There is something to what old timers say; just watch and learn for yourself.
No matter how you square up against what you believe, the heat and humidity are here, and they’re hanging around, much to the amusement of the meteorologists. Fall will come eventually, and the cold will return. Meantime, we will deal with the heat the best way we can and wait for the cold to give us something else to complain about.
