Weather Rock

Weather stone at the Craven Arms pub and cruck barn, Barden, Craven, North Yorkshire, reputedly more accurate than Paul Hudson, the BBC weather man

Pond at nature reserve in Kinsey Heath, Audlem, Cheshire, with tripod from which a weather rock hangs

Milestone Weather Forecasting Stone, Newtown St Boswells, Scottish Borders

The Weather Rock or Weather Stone is a humor display that pokes fun at the intricate technology used in modern weather forecasts, as well as the fact that their accuracy is less than perfect. A rock is typically hung from a tripod and accompanied by a sign indicating how to read it.

Instructions for "analysing" weather with the weather stone

Some examples of the instructions for the weather stone include:

• If the rock is wet, it's raining.
• If the rock is swinging, the wind is blowing.
• If the rock casts a shadow, the sun is shining.
• If the rock does not cast a shadow and is not wet, the sky is cloudy.
• If the rock is not visible, it is foggy.
• If the rock is white, it is snowing.
• If the rock is coated with ice, there is a frost.
• If the ice is thick, it's a heavy frost.
• If the rock is bouncing, there is an earthquake.
• If the rock is under water, there is a flood.
• If the rock is warm, it is sunny.
• If the rock is missing, there was a tornado.
• If the rock is wet and swinging violently, there is a hurricane.

Locations

One example of a weather rock is located at Fort Drum, a US military site in New York state..

There is a prominent and well-known weather rock in the Nature Area of Camp Rotary, a Boy Scout summer camp located in Clare, Michigan. 

There is a weather rock at the Donner's Pass Historic Site (just outside Lake Tahoe).

There is a weather rock at Bloomington Zoo in Central Illinois.

A famous weather rock can be found at Rainbow Scout Reservation. It is located in the Pathfinders area which is also home of the Reservation's acclaimed first year camper program. At any given time a staff member can give the yell "Pathfinders!" to which the response is "Love that weather rock!". The rock is often the center of various in-camp jokes.

External Links

• Image of a weather stone.