I'll admit it's squirrely: the thought of squirrels and acorns predicting winter.
Well, what about persimmon seeds or wooly worms or counting the fogs in August? Folklore makes these famous ways to predict winter.
So, I put my trust in the furry friends of the forest. Trees produce nuts and the squirrels save the nuts. Squirrels stock up in case it's cold and snowy or leave them on the ground, foretelling a warm winter. I've even seen a year where my Oak tree didn't produce a nut.
What followed was a record low snowfall year!
After one twentieth of a century of research, or five years, I came up with the Acorn Theory. It bases the harshness of a winter on the abundance of acorns, and whether squirrels are hoarders, hiders or ho-hum about the nuts.
So after careful consideration, I present to you the 2016-2017 Winter Acorn Theory Forecast.
Exhibit A.) The Squirrels. Busy, some hiding, some hoarding.
Exhibit B.) The Acorns. They are plump and plentiful.
Exhibit C.) The wooly worms. They're furry like squirrels. This year they are darker than last year.
Exhibit A Forecast: The busy squirrels are hiders, hoarders and at times ho-hum about the acorns. It means this Winter will have more snow than last year, and a couple of cold, rainy days.
Squirrels, like us, want to stay inside and eat. But they've also been ho-hum. It means the snow won't stick around long and they're may be some warm stretches of nice weather.
Exhibit B Forecast: Plump and plentiful acorns. This means we could have some really cold days this winter.
Maybe even a day or two where the high is below 32-degrees and the morning low dips below zero. Not a lot but even one or two would be more than last year.
Exhibit C Forecast: The wooly worms. What do worms have to do with squirrels? It's nature, okay.
This year's worms are just a tad darker than last year. Not dark brown or black just a nice mocha shade. So this year's overall winter will be colder than last year, maybe closer to normal but overall slightly warmer than average.
So, there you have it, the 2016-2017 Winter Acorn Theory Forecast. If you are wondering about last year - the squirrels predicted 50 percent lower than average snowfall (that happened). Warmer than average temperatures (the worms were all white) and an ice storm (thankfully, that didn't happen).
By the way, this is NOT the Official 2 Works for You Winter Forecast. That will be unveiled in November, once the new weather pattern emerges. The new weather pattern is setting up right now.
So, tell me what you think! Are squirrels just nutty or does nature foretell future weather? Got a picture of persimmon seeds, wooly worms or a foggy August morning? Share with us at weatherpics@kjrh.com.
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