Some May Weather Folklore

I am a very big fan of weather folklore. Someone asked me the other day about a piece of folklore that they had heard. They asked me if there was any truth to it. The specific piece they mentioned had no merit, but sometimes some of the craziest ones you might think of do have some scientific basis. Since it is the first of May, I thought that I would examine a couple if relate to May weather.

After a rain on May 1st, you can predict twenty rainy days during the month. No merit to this one, just sounds fun. No problem for us this month, eh?

Hoar frost on May 1st indicates a good harvest. Not around Alabama, for sure. Frost on May 1 spells an agricultural disaster in these parts.

Rain on May 1st foretells extremely dry weather. Kind of contradicts the first one. Alright, we can ue the rain, since we are still over three inches behind for the year.

The fair maid, who the first of May, goes to the fields at break of day and washes in dew from the hawthorn tree, will ever handsome be. Got any hawthorn trees out there?

A dry May is followed by a wet June.

A cold May will fill your barns with grain and hay.

A windy May makes a fair year.

The more thunder in May, the less in August and September.