Wake up and look in the mirror. If you notice pillow hair, pillow wrinkles, or pillow feathers, then I see a shower in your near future.

Similar to your early morning appearance, you can forecast the weather by observing characteristics and actions of the things around you. The sky, plants, animals and even the behavior of campfire smoke.

Here are a few of the things I found interesting…

• Plants release waste in low pressure, so if the air smells like compost you are either standing in it, or rain is on the way. (If it is the former, hope for the latter.)
• Decreasing air pressure, (usually an indication of an upcoming storm), upsets birds’ ears, so to alleviate discomfort, they fly low.
• Campfire smoke that swirls and descends is an indication of low pressure – rain is on the way.
• A red sky at sunset (looking west) indicates there is a high pressure system (i.e. dry air) and because prevailing fronts usually move west to east, the dry air is heading toward you.
• A red sky at sunrise (looking east) indicates the high pressure system has passed and a low pressure system is following behind it.

The last two are the explanation for a saying my dad once told me: “Red sky at night sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.”

Check out some of the other ways you can predict weather.