Weather rock
A weather stone at the Craven Arms pub and cruck barn, Barden, Craven, North Yorkshire, reputedly more accurate than Paul Hudson, the BBC weather man
A Pond at a nature reserve in Kinsey Heath, Audlem, Cheshire, with a tripod from which a weather rock hangs.
Other namesWeather stone
ClassificationWeather joke
UsesWeather forecasting

The weather rock or weather stone is a humour display that pokes fun at the intricate technology used in modern weather forecasts, as well as the fact that their accuracy is less than perfect. A rock is typically hung from a tripod and accompanied by a sign indicating how to read it.[1] A portable example of such a display, "the famous Maine Weather Stone" of Audubon Camp, Hog Island, was described in late 1981.[2]

Instructions

Some examples of the instructions commonly provided for "reading" a weather rock include:

  • If the rock is wet, it's raining.
  • If the rock is swinging, the wind is blowing.
  • If the rock casts a shadow, the sun is shining.
  • If the rock does not cast a shadow and is not wet, the sky is cloudy.
  • If the rock is difficult to see, it is foggy.
  • If the rock is white, it is snowing.
  • If the rock is coated with ice, there is a frost.
  • If the ice is thick, it's a heavy frost.
  • If the rock is bouncing, there is an earthquake.
  • If the rock is under water, there is a flood.
  • If the rock is warm, it is sunny.
  • If the rock is missing, there was a tornado.
  • If the rock is wet and swinging violently, there is a hurricane.
  • If the rock can be felt but not seen, it is night time.
  • If the rock has white splats on it, watch out for birds!!

Weather rocks will sometimes include rules for proper maintenance of the system such as, "Please do not disturb the weather rock, it is a finely tuned instrument!"

String variation

In certain circumstances the string may be incorporated into the saying:

  • If the string is on fire then there is a bushfire.
  • If the string is cut a Wendigo has passed by.

Locations

Milestone Weather Forecasting Stone, Newtown St Boswells, Scottish Borders

Weather rocks are located all over the world. Some examples include:

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weather stones.
  1. ↑ Eric Shackle, Found - World's Oldest Weather Stone, Open Writing, March 26, 2006, retrieved February 11, 2011.
  2. ↑ Robert Deis, Leave the Kids and Radio to Home, Down East: The Magazine of Maine, April 1982, retrieved September 11, 2022.
  3. ↑ The Weather Rock, Guardlife volume 27 number 2, retrieved September 8, 2011.
  4. ↑ "READER PHOTO: Elliott's "Weather Rock"". GantNews.com. 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  5. ↑ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  6. ↑ , Google Maps Street View
  7. ↑ , Google Maps Street View
  8. ↑ "Pannawonica, Ashburton Shire, Western Australia, Australia".
  9. ↑ "お天気石". 奇石博物館 収蔵品 (in Japanese). The Kiseki Museum of World Stones. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
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