Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-08-28
GUESSING WEATHER
Must Look at the Northwest for
CIews.
One Who Thoroughly Understands Can
Tell the Approach Of a Rain or
Wind Storm--A "Mackerel Sky"
and other Sure Signs.

Look how cloudy It is! It'll pour
shortly"
How often do you hear that remark?
Yet clouds do not necessarily mean
rain; in fact, they mean quite the re-
verse in good many cases. Clouds,
indeed, will tell you more about the
coming weather than any other signs,
providing you thoroughly understand
the meaning of the clouds. you see.
The three chief types OF clouds are
the cirrus, stratus and cumulus. and
the best times to study them are at
sunset and sunrise. Cumulus clouds
are the most impressive of all clouds,
and are more commonly to be seen in
summer than winter.
These clouds pile themselves up in
masses near the horizon. When they
are only of moderate size and gradu-
ally melt away during the evening
they indicate a spell Of fine weather.
But II. on the contrary, the clouds
continue to pile themselves up like
huge snowy mountains, then look for
rain.
The stratus cloud is generally
formed at the end Of fine day. II is
like a widely extended horizontal
sheet, and hanging so low that it fire.
quently touches the earth's surface in
the form of a fog. When such clouds
are formed in the morning It tells the
sky experts to look out for another
fine day. Stratus clouds, indeed, sell
dom indicate rain.
Cirrus clouds, as their name indi-
Gates, are white, curly clouds, like
curly hair or curly feathers. They are
the highest of all clouds, floating five
to ten miles above the earth, and
often drifting in quite a contrary d.
rection to clouds lower down. Cir
rus clouds are called by sailors cats
tails or mares tails, and generally
foretell rain.
When cirrus clouds lie In long,
straight wisps from west to east, then
be sure that rain Is coming. When
they float at a lower level than usual.
they become what is known as GIRO
cumulus. small. round masses ar
ranged in groups or lines, giving the
appearance known as mackerel sky.
A mackerel sky
Not twentyfour hours dry.
is one of the oldest and truest of
weather proverbs.
The nimbus cloud is a mixture Of all
three of the chief types of clouds. It
is dark, shapeless cloud, with rag
ged edges. as a rule, and floats about
mile high. From It's surface IL
throws of cirrus clouds, known to
sailors as scud, and the amount Of
rain that fall varies generally with the
amount of scud
The more rapidly nimbus clouds
form the sooner will the rain be over,
as a rule. When a dark nimbus cloud
is topped by heavy masses Of clouds
like huge mountains, then look out
for thunder
Here are a few hints for foretelling
the following days weather: First OF
all look at the northwest for your
weather However threatening the
sky may apepar, If you see a bit Of
blue in the northwest you won't have
steady downpour At the worst 1t
will only be a little showery.
If the day has been very fine and
the blue sky is suddenly speckled
over in the evening with little curly
clouds, then look out for a change OF
weather. The longer they take to
form the longer the time before the
change comes about.
A red sun in the early morning is a
bad sign. for there will be wet wealth
er before the next twenty-four hours
are over. Though the sky at sunrise
may be absolutely cloudless. yet II
the eastern horizon is red or orange
the clouds will roll up and rain prob
ably will fall before nightfall
Evening red and morning gray,
Two sure signs OF one fine day.
Is another pretty safe rula