Re: Grim summer prospects? - part 2

I doubt St. Swithin's Day applies anywhere, or Groundhog Day in America for that matter. A persistence forecast of 40 days seems extremely unlikely!

Ian Bingham,
Inchmarlo,
Aberdeenshire,

"Alastair" <al@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:bed5b3a0-3cbf-4380-92f3-4b1300b5763d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Jul 15, 9:12 pm, "Anne Burgess" <anne.andes...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>> Interesting, today is St Swithun's Day.
> I usually go on the fact that whatever the weather does on St
> Swithin's Day, is usually the type of weather we'll have until
> the beginning of September.

That's really depressing, that is.

We have had more days with thunder this week so far than we get
on average in a whole year :-( and I have once again had reason
to be grateful for welly boots :-((

Anne

Anne,

I doubt St Swithun's Day applies in Scotland :-)

Wikipedia says "... that the legend today comes from a pagan or
possibly prehistoric day of augury. In France, Saint Medard (8 June),
Urban of Langres, and Saint Gervase and Saint Protais (19 June) are
credited with an influence on the weather almost identical with that
attributed to St Swithun in England. In Flanders, there is St
Godelieve (6 July) and in Germany the Seven Sleepers' Day (27 June)."
So, although St Swithun's day may be a good guide to the rest of the
summer in Southern England, it may be the wrong date for Scotland.

The reason that Northumbria broke away from the Celtic Church and
joined Canterbury was to get an earlier Easter (i.e. date to sow seed
for the best crops), so it seems that these Christian dates are really
based on pagan folklore. It would be better to find an equivalent
legend in the Scots tradition.

Of course there are the Alexander Buchan Spells, The Scottish father
of meteorology, with his first warm spell around the second week of
July! See:
http://www.meteogroup.co.uk/uk/home/weather/weather_news/news_archive/archive/2007/september/ch/3880894314/article/alexander_buchan-1.html
or Google for "Alexander Buchan dates"

No mention of Alexander Buchan or his spells in Wikibedia :-(

Cheers, Alastair.

.

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