Apples and Onions:
Apples and Onions:
Can they really predict the weather of the coming winter?
If summer was warm and wet it would contribute to tree growth and the flow of sap. This in turn would provide apples with a thick skin. Now, if we have a warm, wet summer, we should have a cold, hard winter to balance it out. It is then safe to say:
A tough apple skin means a hard winter.
How is this folklore important? Is it true? Can we rely on apples and onions to predict our coming winter? Why would meteorologists care about apple and onion skins?
This folklore can be looked at as expressing the seasonality and balance of the weather on Earth. Mother Nature, and forces on Earth, are constantly trying to achieve a balance. In this piece of folklore if apple skins are thick and tough it meant that the summer was good and warm, then it would be followed by a cold, tough winter to balance it out. This balance can also work in the reverse direction. If the summer was bad, then we would have an easy winter to follow. This is only one way in which forces work to balance out the weather on Earth.
This folklore has effects on meteorology because it can help to suggest what our coming winter will be like. Although meteorologists rely on many more technological sources for their information, things as simple as apple and onion skins can also be considered. Meteorologists can see the balance that is trying to be achieved, through studying the weather for many years. Tools used to reach a balance include winds and ocean currents to help balance the temperature differences from the North and South Pole to the equator. El Niņo and La Niņa are two events that cause a change in the water temperature of the equatorial Pacific Ocean along the coast of South America and relate to the balancing act constantly occurring on Earth. El Niņo and La Niņa have profound effects within the Pacific Ocean, on the winds, and throughout the world
When discussing El Niņo and La Niņa, there are some important terms to know before starting.
El Niņo and La Niņa are prime examples of how forces on Earth work to balance the seasons and temperatures and pressures around the world. Although apples and onions are small in comparison to oceans, they can also help predict future weather.
This page last updated on 28 April 2005.