FWIW, my next-door neighbors, who were dairy farmers for many years, felt quite certain that it would be a very harsh winter this year. Their prediction was based on a few natural indicators: the fact that old apple trees along our road were bearing fruit for the first time in a while; and the coloring of a certain type of furry caterpillar (sadly, like a typical city transplant, I don't recall the details at the moment). There was also something about where birds were placing their nests.

My lovely neighbors are full of observations and predictions like this, sometimes preceded by references to the Farmer's Almanac... what one could call "country wisdom" with perhaps a smile on one's face... but it really seems like they are usually right about such matters. They were so convinced of the harsh 2013-2014 winter that they decided to leave for two months of it, which they haven't done in like 50 years or something--which turned out to be a great call. Of course it could be coincidence or random chance, and I probably don't hear about or remember the times when the predictions are wrong. But I do love that there are other constructs for measuring and predicting weather other than what we typically hear about from the weatherperson on the news.