'If a wet and cool spring could predict what the winter was going to be like, and we had some skill there, then you could kind of associate what the animals do and use that as a proxy for forecasting the winter, but it's not that simple.'Īt, our forecast resource of choice is our meteorologists, who say the coming winter will have warmer than average temperatures in the North and cooler temperatures in the South on the East Coast. When using wooly bear caterpillars, better known as wooly worms, to predict the weather, tradition says the width of the brown band on the worm is key, according to KSPR. 'So, as an example, if it's been a wet and a cool spring, the animals may react to that in a certain way,' said Niziol. “When I take a look at it, and I look at natural phenomena that occur, like the woolly bear's coat, the height of the bee's nest above the ground, squirrels gathering nuts, to me, it’s more response to what has already happened weather-wise,” said Tom Niziol, winter weather expert at The Weather Channel.

If the worm has a wider band, there’s a milder winter coming.īut how much of this is based on proven science? More black than orange means winter will be severe. A wide orange band means winter will be mild.

If the caterpillar has more orange, then the winter will be mild. If the band on the worm is narrow, it will be a harsh winter. As folklore goes, you need to look at the orange and black bands on this tiny creature the more black a woolly bear has, the worse off the winter. When using wooly bear caterpillars, better known as wooly worms, to predict the weather, tradition says the width of the brown band on the worm is key, according to KSPR.

Download light brown wooly worm