March myths and weather

We all know the myth of March and the lion and the lamb, right? Where did this myth come from and is it true? Obviously, March is a month where anything can happen, weather-wise because it is the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Today someone from Ottowa Citizen Online wrote this article explaining that the myth is really just that–a myth.

The Naturalist’s Almanac gives this bit of advice for weather trackers:

To test whether the lion/lamb proverb is true for March in Vermont — or wherever else you might live — it might be an interesting experiment in old-fashioned weather observation to pay attention to this particular March.. Start with the first, but include several additional days to give the early part of the month a fair chance to show itself, and notice how lion-like the weather is.

Then, while you’re waiting for the other end of the month to arrive, you can keep yourself attentive to the weather by counting the number of mists because another old weather proverb says, “So many mists in March, so many frosts in May.” During the last week of March start looking for the promised lamb-like weather. If the weather is pleasant, enjoy it, but don’t expect it to last because yet another old weather proverb says, “April borrows three days of March and they are ill.”

I’ll have to check on that April myth, as well, when the time comes.

Here in Philadelphia, March 1st was windy and cold, but the 2nd was warmer and pleasant (I even sat outside in the sun for a little while) and today is sunny and should get up into the 50s. I’ll keep track of the weather to see how true this myth fares this year.