Weather rock

Weather rock
A weather stone at the Craven Arms pub and cruck barn, Barden, Craven, North Yorkshire, reputedly more accurate than Paul Hudson, a local BBC weather man
A Pond at a nature reserve in Kinsey Heath, Audlem, Cheshire, with a tripod from which a weather rock hangs.
Other namesWeather stone
ClassificationWeather joke
UsesWeather forecasting

The weather rock or weather stone is a humorous display that pokes fun at the intricate technology used in modern weather forecasts, as well as the fact that their accuracy is less than perfect. A rock is typically hung from a tripod and accompanied by a sign indicating how to read it.[1] A portable example of such a display, "the famous Maine Weather Stone" of Audubon Camp, Hog Island, was described in late 1981.[2]

Instructions

Some examples of the instructions commonly provided for "reading" a weather rock include:

  • If the rock is wet, it's raining.
  • If the rock is swinging, the wind is blowing.
  • If the rock casts a shadow, the sun is shining.
  • If the rock does not cast a shadow and is not wet, the sky is cloudy.
  • If the rock is difficult to see, it is foggy.
  • If the rock is white, it is snowing.
  • If the rock is coated with ice, there is a frost.
  • If the ice is thick, it's a heavy frost.
  • If the rock is bouncing, there is an earthquake.
  • If the rock is under water, there is a flood.
  • If the rock is warm, it is sunny.
  • If the rock is missing, there is a tornado.
  • If the rock is wet and swinging violently, there is a hurricane.
  • If the rock can be felt but not seen, it is night time.
  • If the rock has white splats on it, watch out for birds.
  • If the rock is levitating, you're stoned.
  • If there are two rocks, you're drunk.

Weather rocks will sometimes include rules for proper maintenance of the system such as, "Please do not disturb the weather rock, it is a finely tuned instrument!"

String variation

In certain circumstances the string may be incorporated into the saying:

  • If the string is on fire then there is a bushfire.
  • If the string is cut a Wendigo has passed by.

Locations

Milestone Weather Forecasting Stone, Newtown St Boswells, Scottish Borders

Weather rocks are located all over the world. Some examples include:

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weather stones.
  1. ^ Eric Shackle, Found - World's Oldest Weather Stone, Open Writing, March 26, 2006, retrieved February 11, 2011.
  2. ^ Robert Deis, Leave the Kids and Radio to Home, Down East: The Magazine of Maine, April 1982, retrieved September 11, 2022.
  3. ^ The Weather Rock, Guardlife volume 27 number 2, retrieved September 8, 2011.
  4. ^ "READER PHOTO: Elliott's "Weather Rock"". GantNews.com. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  5. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  6. ^ [1], Google Maps Street View
  7. ^ [2], Google Maps Street View
  8. ^ "Pannawonica, Ashburton Shire, Western Australia, Australia".
  9. ^ "お天気石". 奇石博物館 収蔵品 (in Japanese). The Kiseki Museum of World Stones. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
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