If It Thunders in February, Will We Frost in April?

There's an old wives' tale, some weather-related folklore, that says if it thunders in February, it will frost in April. Well, here in western Kentucky and southern Indiana, we experienced some significant thunderstorm activity the first week of this month. Not only did we have a bunch of thunder and lightning, some parts of western Kentucky even experienced tornado warnings.

RED SKY AT MORNING, SAILORS TAKE WARNING

There are quite a few wives' tales that revolve around the weather. Another that comes to mind is this one- "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." Basically, that early morning red sky is believed to indicate significant shifts in pressure that lead to outbreaks of severe weather.

Many meteorologists believe that particular folklore to be true. Now, what about that warning about thunder in February? We have most definitely had it, so what does that mean for our April here in the Tristate?

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IF IT THUNDERS IN FEBRUARY, IT WILL FROST IN APRIL

There are a couple of variations of that particular wives' tale- one is general; the other is incredibly specific. The 'general' version simply states that if it thunders in February, we'll experience frost in April. The other version is far more specific. It claims that if it thunders on a specific day in February, we'll allegedly have frost on that exact same day in April. For example, if it thunders on February 5th (which it did), we'll have a frost on April 5th.

While our recent weather records don't necessarily bear out that specificity, there is some indication that a stormy February leads to a chilly spring. Check out this recent report from KOLR in the Ozarks- just to our west.

As you heard in that KOLR report, there's yet another variation of that old wives' tale. "For every thunder with rain in February, there will be a cold spell in May."

While I can't speak for the Ozarks, I think I speak for every one in western Kentucky and southern Indiana when I say, "Let's hope not!"

LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.

Gallery Credit: Anuradha Varanasi