WEATHER PROVERBS 439 



as often happens when the clouds are low, it appears to be unusually 

 large; and, conversely, when the clouds are very high a halo in them, 

 because the distance to it commonly is underestimated, impresses one 

 as being correspondingly small. 



Now the higher the clouds the swifter the winds that carry them 

 along and the farther removed they become from the storm center. 

 Hence, a halo that appears small is due to clouds far removed from the 

 storm that produced them, while one that seems large, since it is caused 

 by relatively low and, therefore, slow-moving clouds usually indicates 

 that the storm is comparatively near. 



Moon 



"But chiefly look to Cynthia's varying face; 

 There surest signs of coming weather trace." 



— Aratus. 



Many people have supposed, and some still hold, that the moon 

 appreciably controls the weather, and there are numerous proverbs 

 based on this assumed relation. But careful study of the records shows 

 that the moon's influence on the weather, beyond a very small tidal 

 effect on the atmosphere, as indicated by the barometer, is negligible, 

 if indeed it has any influence at all. As has been well said : 



"The moon and the weather 



May change together; 

 But change of the moon 



Does not change the weather. 

 If we'd no moon at all, 



And that may seem strange, 

 We still should have weather 



That's subject to change." 



However, the appearance of the moon depends upon the conditions 

 of the atmosphere, and, therefore, proverbs based upon phenomena of 

 this nature are more or less sound and have much value. Thus : 



"Clear moon 

 Frost soon," 



"Moonlit nights have the heaviest frosts," 



and others of this class are true enough, because on the clearest nights 

 the cooling of the earth's surface by radiation is greatest and hence 

 most likely to cause, through the low temperature reached, precipita- 

 tion in the form of dew or frost. 



The meaning of haloes and coronas about the moon has already 

 been explained, and the proverbs connected with them, foretelling bad 

 weather, fully justified. 



The following is a somewhat interesting moon proverb : 

 "Sharp horns do threaten windy weather." 



