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Predicting Winter Weather: Squirrels, Woolly Worms & Other Folklore Signs

Discover how animals, plants, and old weather rhymes can hint at a harsh or mild winter—and what science says about it.

Written By: James J. Garriss Weather Contributor

The weather-predicting business is a tough one. How do you know if the winter will be exceptionally snowy? Is it going to be a cold, long winter? According to folklore, all you need to do is look at the squirrels! Or measure the thickness of onion skins! Let’s take a look at signs of a bad winter according to weather lore passed down through the ages.

Winter is coming! How do we know what the conditions will be? First of all, check out the new Almanac winter forecast, released each year around Labor Day. 

What Do the Squirrels Know About Winter?

The squirrels offer up some impressive rodent wisdom. 

Read Next

Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry, 
Will cause snow to gather in a hurry.

That makes sense. If winter is going to be cold, you better store up more food! In addition, a tough winter is ahead if squirrels’ tails are very bushy. Even squirrel nesting patterns tell us how cold a winter will be. Nests higher in trees suggest a colder, snowier winter; nests located lower in trees suggest a milder winter.

Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry,  Will cause snow to gather in a hurry. weather folkore graphic with house in snow with snowy trees

The Birds and the Bees

In this case, knowing the birds and the bees is about closer observation of nature. As with squirrels, when birds migrate early or bees build their nests high in the trees, winter is going to be awful. The old saying goes:

See how high the hornets nest, 
‘twill tell how high the snow will rest.

Larger spider webs are also signs of a bad winter. Learn more about how insects predict the weather.

The Famous Woolly Worm Weather Prediction

How about the woolly worms? Ever seen those fuzzy-wuzzy worms cross the road in autumn? The furry bands of brown and rust on a woolly caterpillar will tell you if the upcoming winter will be cold.

mums growing in a dome configuration
“Are your chrysanthemums really pretty? Get out the mittens.” Even the flowers know! 
Source: Wikimedia

Food Folklore: Onion, Apple, and Corn

Folklore claims that thicker onion skins can signal a cold and snowy winter.

Onion’s skin very thin, 
Mild winter coming in; 
Onion’s skin thick and tough, 
Coming winter cold and rough. 
–Gardener’s Rhyme

Other plants and trees also give cues about rain and cold weather if you observe closely. 

  • Like onions, thick skins on apples signal a bad winter.
  • And thicker-than-normal corn husks indicate a harsh winter, too.
  • Flowers in bloom late in autumn indicate a lousy winter.
  • When leaves drop early, autumn and winter will be mild, but if they fall late, winter will be severe. 

Weather Lore and Science

Some of these are based on old-fashioned observation. But some go back to science. 

Interestingly, weather folklore warning of a harsh winter is based on La Niña and El Niño, which are natural climate phenomena related to the temperatures of the oceans. So, it’s a little bit of art and science!

  • La Niña conditions tend to be dry in summer and cold in winter. If birds leave early, the leaves fall quickly, onions and apples are tough, and caterpillars are short, it may be due to the La Niña drought. A miserable La Niña winter will follow.
  • El Niño conditions typically result in wetter-than-average conditions from southern California to the Gulf Coast and drier-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

Other folklore indicates that you shouldn’t let your guard down. Lots of berries, nuts, and flowers may be the sign of a lovely, warm November. However, weather-wise, winter will probably be difficult.

Now, let’s check out the 2025–2026 Winter Weather Forecast from The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Weather Lore
About The Author
James J. Garriss

James J. Garriss

Weather Contributor

With an academic background in international business, James is a writer, editor and researcher for Browning Media LLC, helping to present accurate climatological projections for a myriad of U.S. and ...
Read More from James J. Garriss

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Comments

<span>Keith Hayes</span> Tue, 09/09/2025 - 06:59
Is there any truth to pine trees predicting winter weather? I was told the further out on a branch that pine cones form the worse the winter.
<span>Henry</span> Thu, 09/11/2025 - 17:51
Yes there is truth to the pines predicting winter weather. However the saying is "the more pine cones on a tree in late summer and early autumn ( late August or Early September), then there is a cold snowy winter ahead." This saying comes from the Native Americans as they knew that the pine trees seeds need to be cold stratified for months before germination. However botanists are still not sure exactly what causes the trees to produce more cones ahead of a cold snowy winter or how they know its going to be one. But its widely accepted that this phenomenon does occur and is true.
<span>Anne</span> Thu, 11/07/2024 - 10:39
Autum leaves falling foretell Winter's snowflakes~: )
<span>Anne</span> Sun, 11/03/2024 - 12:52
Irredundant black grackle bird highlights the orange maple leaves; the black grackle's yellow eyes enhance the autumn's yellow beech tree leaves...~
<span>Anne</span> Mon, 11/04/2024 - 11:49
Correction: Iridescent purple sheen grackle bird highlights the orange maple leaves; the black grackle's yellow eyes enhance the autumn's yellow beech tree leaves...
<span>Gail Harkins</span> Thu, 09/28/2023 - 21:35
I look at my horses coats. I check the thickness of their winter coats to guess at how bad/cold a winter we are going to have.
<span>J. Vainovich</span> Sat, 09/16/2023 - 16:21
So do the leaves fall early or late for a harsh winter? First it was stated they fall late for a harsh winter. Then, when lumped in with tough onion skins and early bird migration (harsh winter), it says they fall early.
<span>K Ridihalgh</span> Sat, 09/16/2023 - 07:28
I object to your categorizing a “bad” winter to have ice and lots of snow. To me, that’s a “good” winter! Kills bugs and helps the garden! A bad winter is warm, foggy and rainy. Let’s go squirrels!!
<span>Ingrid Scott</span> Sat, 09/16/2023 - 14:14
I concur with K. Ridihalgh’s statement - my part of Downeast (Maine) needs cold and snow and ice to be “normal”. We had a terrible heavy tick season this year for lack to sufficient tick-killing cold last winter.
<span>Sarah</span> Sun, 10/02/2022 - 18:59
I had a cat who lived to be 21. 3 times in her life, her fur went from typical short hair to thick as chinchilla. Soft, and lush. We live in the middle of Texas where we get a few freezes and rarely a dusting of snow. All 3 of the chinchilla fur years, we got full on ice and snow for days. And a non-typical cold winter. Mother Nature provided! (And gave a warning?)