Meteorology or myth?

ITV Meteorologist Philippa Drew explores some of the most common weather lore... but do any of them hold up under scrutiny?

Cows sit down when it's about to rain...

This is one of my favourites. I remember being told as a child that this was to keep their patch of grass dry so they had something nice to eat once the rain had passed... If you have been under the same impression then I'm sorry to report that there is no official scientific backing to this theory. Many studies have been undertaken but none have been conclusive, cows may be an excellent predictor of impending rain or they may just need to rest their legs!

Red sky at night, shepherds' delight...

This is one bit of weather lore that has more than a grain of truth to it. It is particularly reliable here in the UK with our prevailing weather coming from the west. High pressure traps lots of particles in the lower layers of the atmosphere and as the sun passes through these the blue light is scattered, leaving us with only the red colours. Red sunsets usually mean that high pressure is moving in from the west, whereas a red sunrise often means high pressure is moving away to the east. Hence "red sky at night, shepherds delight; red sky in the morning, shepherds warning".

It's too cold to snow...

The theory behind this saying is that the colder the air, the less moisture it can hold. While that may be true, even the coldest air has some moisture so although snow is less likely, it's not completely out of the question.

So there we have it, just a small selection of weather lore to ponder. Personally, I still like to think cows prefer their grass to be dry...