WEATHER

A Table Foretelling the Weather Through All the Lunations of Each Year, or Forever

This table is the result of many years of actual observation and shows what sort of weather will probably follow the Moon's entrance into any of its quarters. For example, the table shows that the week following January 6, 2021, will have rain, because the Moon enters the last quarter on that day at 4:37 a.m. EST. (See the Left-Hand Calendar Pages, 120–146, for Moon phases.)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Although the data in this table is taken into consideration in the yearlong process of compiling the annual long-range weather forecasts for The Old Farmer's Almanac, we rely far more on our projections of solar activity.

TIME OF CHANGE	SUMMER	WINTER
Midnight to 2 a.m.	Fair	Hard frost, unless wind is south or west
2 a.m. to 4 a.m.	Cold, with frequent showers	Snow and stormy
4 a.m. to 6 a.m.	Rain	Rain
6 a.m. to 8 a.m.	Wind and rain	Stormy
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.	Changeable	Cold rain if wind is west; snow, if east
10 a.m. to noon	Frequent showers	Cold with high winds
Noon to 2 p.m.	Very rainy	Snow or rain
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.	Changeable	Fair and mild
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.	Fair	Fair
6 p.m. to 10 p.m.	Fair if wind is northwest; rain if wind is south or southwest	Fair and frosty if wind is north or northeast; rain or snow if wind is south or southwest
10 p.m. to midnight	Fair	Fair and frosty

This table was created more than 180 years ago by Dr. Herschell for the Boston Courier; it first appeared in The Old Farmer's Almanac in 1834.

SAFE ICE THICKNESS*

ICE THICKNESS PERMISSIBLE LOAD

3 inches  Single person on foot

4 inches  Group in single file

7½ inches  Passenger car (2-ton gross)

8 inches  Light truck (2½ -ton gross)

10 inches  Medium truck (3½ -ton gross)

15 inches  10 tons

20 inches  25 tons

30 inches  70 tons

36 inches  110 tons

*Solid, clear, blue/black pond and lake ice

The strength value of river ice is 15 percent less. Slush ice has only half the strength of blue ice.