Weather forecasting by rural folks

(First of Two Parts)

Even as people in urban and urbanizing areas already rely on the weather forecasts of Pagasa, those in the remote barangays of Ilocos Norte still cling to traditional methods or weather lores that were handed down by their forefathers.

These weather lores include the unusual behavior of ants, earthworms, dragonflies, dogs, frogs, birds and honeybees as predictors to an upcoming rain, typhoon or bad weather.

These rural people also consider the ripening and shedding of fruits like physic nut (tawwa-tawwa), bangkal and siniguelas as reliable indicators of the onset of the rainy season.

To them a long parallel band of feathery clouds and a ring around the moon are important clues to predict the weather. For fisherfolk, seawater evaporation and high sea waves are reliable indicators.

Although some people dismiss these weather lores as mere superstitions or simply nonsense a considerable number could be explained by using the principles of science.

These were some of the findings in study conducted in the remote barangays of 17 towns in Ilocos Norte by Evangeline S. Galacgac and Criselda M. Balisacan, agricultural engineers in the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) who specialize in agricultural meteorology.

The researchers explained that insects are more active before and during storms and, hence, can serve as a good indicator of incoming rain. Insects like ants, earthworms, adult termites, winged ants, moths and the lune beetle (arus-arus) could be seen coming out of their hiding places or caves before the rains come.

For instance, ants come out of their caves, sometimes evacuating stored food supplies. Earthworms and adult termites also come out from the ground.

On the other hand, dragonflies could be seen flying low before the rains come because of the high humidity in the air. The high humidity affects their wings, which become soggy, Galacgac and Balisacan explained. When the sky is overcast, Himalayan swiflets fly low together all day long due to the low pressure, which replaces the warm air with cold air. The Himalayan swiflet is called salsallapingaw in Iluko.

Rural people also take the sound made by birds and the unusual behavior of mammals as signals for the coming rain. For instance, the pitopit or plaintive cuckoo utters its call late in the day during cloudy and rainy days. The notes resemble the syllables "pee-to-peet" repeated five to six times. On the other hand, the white-throated kingfisher (salaksak) is noisy when the sky is overcast or when there is a slight drizzle.

Among mammals dogs excret their waste at the middle of the road or at higher elevation before a storm or an upcoming rain so that it would not be washed away. The MMSU researchers noted that dogs probably hear and smell the coming of rain since sound travels farther in moist air and the sound of rain precedes the actual rainfall. (To be continued)