Weather rock

For other uses, see Weather stone.

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 "analyzing" 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 difficult to see, 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.
• If the rock can be felt but not seen, it is night time.
• If the rock has white splats on it, watch out for birds.

Please do not disturb the weather rock, it is a finely tuned insturment!

String Variation

In certain circumstances the string may be incorporated into the saying:

• If the string is on fire then there is a bushfire.

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 prominent and well-known weather rock in Camp Wolfeboro, a Boy Scout summer camp located in Arnold, California.

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.

There is a weather rock in Rhododendron, Oregon near the Zig Zag River off Road 10.

There is a weather rock at the Pancake Bay Trading Post near Pancake Bay Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

There is a weather rock in Boron, California, in front of Domingo's Mexican and Seafood Restaurant, a famous astronaut hangout near Edwards Air Force Base.

There is a weather rock at Seven Ranges Boy Scout Reservation in Kensington, Ohio.

There is a weather rock at Firelands Scout Reservation in Wakeman, Ohio.

There is a weather rock outside the McDonald's restaurant in Lithgow, NSW, Australia,

There is a weather rock at Tenterfield in NSW, Australia.

As of late July 2012 Nature Camp in Vesuvius, Virginia also has a weather rock.

There is a weather rock at the Whippi Dip ice cream place at the Pontaluna road in Spring Lake, MI, near Hoffmaster State Park.

There is a weather rock at the Lobster Pot Tea-room on the island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

There is a weather rock at Lynnhaven Inlet Fishing Pier in Virginia Beach, VA, USA.

External links

• Image of a weather stone.
• More images of a weather stone.