Superstitions about the weather in Norway that are actually true

Når svalen flyr lavt, kommer regnet 

When the swallow flies low, the rain will come. 

Insects seek out dry air, and when the weather becomes humid, insects will fly lower to seek out the dryer air. The swallows will then follow in search of their next meal. 

A swallow flying this low isn't a good sign if you are hoping for clear skies. Photo: Photoholgic/Unsplash

I dag du om solen ser en stor ring, i morgen du av solen ser ingenting 

If you see a big ring around the sun today you probably won't see the sun at all tomorrow. 

These halos around the sun are caused by cirrus clouds moving from east to west high up in the troposphere, the lowest level of the Earth's atmosphere. The clouds consist of ice crystals that form a ring around the sun when the light is refracted. 

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A circle around the sun or moon, therefore, signals that clouds and rain are not far away, obscuring the sun. 

Stor flo spår styggvær, stor fjære spår finvær 

When the tide is high, it forecasts bad weather, and when the tide is low, it forecasts good weather. 

Many of you already know that the moon controls the tides. However, air pressure also plays a big part in not just the waves but also the weather. 

High air pressure will push tides down. The high air pressure also means cool, dry air and fair weather with light breezes. 

High tides are a result of low air pressure; low pressure means clouds and precipitation. 

The only problem with this is that when you see high or low tides, it is probably too late to plan ahead, and the sun will either be shining already, or it'll be lashing it down with rain. 

En regnbue om kvelden varsler finvær 

Rainbow in the evening means good weather ahead. 

This indicates rain and clouds are moving from east to west and when the sun moves towards the horizon on the west, it can form a rainbow in the east. That means it usually is raining far from you and that good weather should arrive in the morning. 

A rainbow in the evening can be a sign of good weather ahead. Photo: Kym Ellis/Unsplash

Fjær på himmelen etterfølges av regn

Feathers in the sky come dripping with rain.

Cirrus clouds, sometimes more commonly referred to as feather clouds, are wispy, feather-like clouds composed of ice crystals. 

As beautiful as they are to behold, your first thought when you see these clouds should be whether you packed an umbrella or where you left your raincoat. 

As mesmerising as cirrus clouds can be, they could literally be about to rain on your picnic. Photo: Marat Gilyadzinov/Unsplash