Can Pinecones Really Predict the Weather in KY & IN?

It is that time of year when yards are covered in leaves and seeds that have fallen from the trees as the season turns from summer to fall. From August to December while raking the lawn, if you have a pine tree nearby, you'll also notice it is pine cone season.

When my son was younger, we were always on the lookout for them as we went on our autumn walks around the neighborhood. Pine cones are so fun to use in different crafts. You can paint them for Christmas ornaments, add googly eyes, use them as stamps, or even make bird feeders out of them.

I can't believe I went my whole life without knowing something REALLY cool about what pine cones can do. I recently learned that you can also use them to predict the weather. I know folks look to foggy days, wooly worms, and persimmons to forecast snow and winter, but when it comes to knowing whether it is going to rain, the pine cones make it easy.

All you have to do is hang a pine cone from a string somewhere outside. According to weatherandradar.com,

There is a commonly held conception that an open pine cone is a sign of good weather. This statement is actually correct! In damp conditions, the structure of pine cones become more flexible and have a ‘closed’ shape. This results in the scales absorbing moisture and shielding the seeds inside until better days arrive.

 

When dry conditions arrive, the outer parts of a pine cone’s scales become drier, resulting in the cone opening. Therefore it is easy to check humidity levels based on their shape.

 

Apparently, there is a misconception when it comes to pine cones predicting weather. Some people have believed that if a person sees a lot of pinecones in the fall, there will be a cold winter ahead. That has not been proven to be accurate because pine trees can take several years to develop cones and the number varies each year.

I say make a pretty craft with some pinecones and hang them on your porch to pull double duty as a decoration and precipitation predictor.

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