St Paul’s Day Weather

All over western Europe it was believed that the weather on the Conversion of St Paul foretold the whole year. Four Latin lines, common in medieval manuscripts, set it out: a fair day meant a good year, snow or rain a dear one, clouds or mist death among the cattle, and wind war. Several English rhymes put the same into verse. Chambers says no other day of January was so widely trusted for the purpose, although the old prognosticators also counted it an unlucky day.