Weather Lore Challenge 2010

There is an old lore/ wives tale that says :

"The first 12 days of the New Year
Predict general weather conditions and patterns for the next 12 months."

Now, the way I understand, this applies to only the local weather (guesstimate a 15 to 25 mile radius around your house say ) and individual interpretation. I was also taught to take it a bit further . The morning hours tell the weather of the first 8 to 10 days of the month, the late morning to early evening hours tell the weather the mid 14-ish days of the month and (obviously), the evening/night hours tell the weather of the last 8 to 10 days of the month.


So here is my challenge ,
and yours should you choose to accept.

Starting today , and for the next 12 days I shall log the weather conditions locally (my house).
Then at the end of each month I shall update this page to tell how the weather was actually and how it stacked up to my prediction... if you choose to participate then on the 13 of January , 2010 leave a comment to this post containing general local of where you are and your weather conditions and predictions for your little corner of the world. Then come back at the end of each corresponding months and share your results .

OH, about my prediction ability and alternate goals of this challenge : Well this is where the physical therapy comes in . I am also using this challenge as a form of physical therapy to make me get out of the house for at least 15 min 3 times a day , but I cant always make it out of the house into the days weather by myself, so I tend to rely on the interpretations which come to me via my husband and others; therefor your results may be more accurate than mine, but hopefully the challenge will help me/us rebuild some endurance and strength I/we may have lost over the last several months.


So, on to it ~

Predictions:
Ma Fey's house in North-Central Indiana, USA

Jan 1, 2010 for the rest of January
at Ma Fey's house: sunny and dry that morning , snow in the afternoon and was bitter cold that evening. So I say January will be dry most of the month bitter cold in the last week to 10 days of January and the highest amounts of precipitation coming in the middle 10 to 14 days of the month.
Follow up: January brought the mid winter thaw in mid month. it was coldest in the last 8 days of the month-pipe freezing cold. most of the precipitation fell right at the line between the first 10 and second 10 days of the month, so I was bit off there.

Jan 2, 2010 for February
at Ma Fey's house: Snow in the very early am , with glorious sunshine through out most of the day and COLD temperatures ,though no more precipitation for the day; So I say, February's will be cold and dryer than usual, with the heaviest amounts of precipitation being in the first week to 10 days of the month , with little to no precipitation following and temperatures being a bit lower than normal.
Follow up: February is as predicted in my little corner of the world. Our heaviest accumulations came with in the first 10 days give or take one . While others had snow we had barely a dusting on the few days it did snow in the later part of the month and most all new fall melted away by mid day. though all around us falls the snow up to mountain high piles in some states this month even as close a radius as 20 miles we have had very little to speak in truth. in the last few days the temps are so cold . and a bit lower than usual though nothing drastic, but i wouldn't plan on planting a rose bush any time with in the next couple-3 weeks or so ..


Jan 3, 2010 for March
at Ma Fey's House: Snow in the morning , sunny till sunset , then snow late in the evening and through the night .. and COLD all day. So I say March 2010 will come in like a lamb and go out like a lion with the middle days of March being the driest and the hole month being cooler than in past years. ( humm better get the crop protectors/ row covers out, seams like there may still be a few nights of frosty weather in March )

Jan 4, 2010 for April
at Ma Fey's House: snow on and off today, with warm sunshine in the afternoon, but bitter cold all day. Well I don't think I will get much in the way of help watering the garden from the April showers so if I want those May flowers I will want to be more diligent in watering in the middle of the month and toward the final few days of April. and the more tender plantings of that month will need some extra warmth from ground cover and over head cover. Easter will be April 4th in 2010 so I would not be surprised to see snow and cold weather over the Easter weekend this year ( even if only a few flurries ).

Jan 5, 2010 for May
at Ma Fey's House: snow flurries with little accumulation turning sunny in the after noon and now flurries or snow in the evening but COLD all day; so I say May will be a cooler than usual month with little rain. ( there goes the water bill especially if the rain cater barrels arn't gonna be replenished with spring rains )

Jan 6, 2010 for June
at Ma Fey's House: snow flurries in the morning with no accumulation, agian sunny in the late after noon and no snowfall well after midnight, a little warmer when the sun was our but mostly cold all day: so I say June will be yet another dry month but the temperatures won't be as high most of the month with possibly the warmest weather of June comming in the middle of the month.

Jan 7, 2010 for July
at Ma Fey's House: SNOW! Glorious SNOW all day ! But it was lighter in the middle of the day with bits of sunshine peeking through the clouds; the temperature was warmer than the day before ; so I say July will be most humid in the first part and last part of the month with a good to fair amount of rain at those times too (will want to watch for molds and diseases on plants, conditions are perfect to bread them now) with the hottest part in middle of the month (which makes me think we could be heading to late summer early fall drought conditions) .

Jan 8, 2010 for August
at Ma Fey's House: we had very cold temps today and very little snow. (though the weather man said we were suppose to get some good lake affect , we didn't, but folks about 1 mile north of us did get a good snow.) So, I say August in my little corner of the world will be HOT and Dry all month . We will have some rain, coming in about the late middle to the end of the month but it won't be enough to crops any good except for those which like a dryer August.

Jan 9, 2010 for September
at Ma Fey's House: It's been bitter cold all day, and it was bright and sunny! Had a few flurries in the evening, just after sun set to late evening, though no a lot. SO I say It will be Hot and dry for most of September, with the main amount of precipitation coming at the end ( last 2 weeks or so)of the month . ( I better plan to pay for Lots of water to water the gardens wile I am budgeting for the gardens.)

Jan 10, 2010 for October
at Ma Fey's House: It was bitter cold most of the day , though it was a bit warmer in the am than at noon and later through out the day ;there have been very light snow flurries on and off through out the day; sun was out on and off most of the days well . So I say, October weather will be a roller coaster ride, Hottest part in the beginning but Colder than normal at the end the month; precipitation will be low but evenly distributed through out the month. ( bet the first snow fall in my neck of the woods comes before Halloween, though there probably won't be any accumulation from it ).


Jan 11, 2010 for November
at Ma Fey's House: Flurries all day , With the lightest being from about mid day to mid night; but sun shine about mid day ( i love how the snow glitters when the sun hits it );was Cold all day, but with in norms for the date. So I say November will start out on the warmer side of norm and precipitations begin to return with the warmest and driest period in the middle of the month.

Jan 12, 2010 for December
at Ma Fey's House: Warmer than the past several days light flurries in the early morning hours, some sun in the mid day but cloudy the rest of the day. SO, I say we'll have a slightly warmer than usual December in 2010 with most of the months precipitation in the beginning of the month. ( we probably wont have snow fall on Yule/Christmas locally, but I hope I am wrong on that part) .