Folklore Predicts Snowy Green Country Winter

Dan Bewley & Travis Meyer, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- People have been trying to predict the weather for generations, but before there were Dopplers and other high-tech radars, they had to get creative.

Last year's winter was truly a mess; almost two feet of snow fell across Green Country for the entire season, about six inches of that came during the Christmas Eve blizzard.

So what's in store for this year?

News On 6 Chief Meteorologist Travis Meyer thought one way to get a glimpse of the forecast was to search through weather folklore.

Get the latest forecast in the NewsOn6.com Weather section

So he found a grove of Persimmon trees. The persimmon is a small fruit, about the size of a large grape, used across the world to make pies and other delicious foods.

It's also said to be able to predict winter weather.

A lot of folks would take the seeds and cut them in half and they'd see that there was either a fork, a spoon, or a knife in there, and eventually, they'd equate that to what type of weather was forecast for the winter.

A spoon shaped seed means heavy, wet precipitation, a knife signals a cold and cutting winter, while a fork means a mild winter.

Another legend says that if the coat of a cow or horse grows thick then a heavy winter is on the way.

And you can't talk winter predictions without talking about wooly worms; they're normally brown to dark brown with an occasional black ring. Usually the brown indicates that it will be mild, the more black they are the more likely they are to have a really cold type of winter situation.

Wooly worms are very hard to find. They're usually found near gardens, along the road, or on sidewalks.

News On 6 Chief Meteorologist Travis Meyer found ended up with a spoon in the Persimmon seed he found. A spoon means heavy, wet precipitation; a winter that means snow or ice.

Will it be accurate? Only time will tell, but its sure fun to give it a try.