Before modern technology, Doppler Radar, satellites and the like, Bermudians relied on their environment to determine the likelihood of an impending storm.

Silk spider: Also known as the ‘hurricane spider’, the silk spider is known for its ability to predict bad weather. When a storm is on the way, it is said that the silk spider will spin its web close to the ground in trees and shrubs. During fine weather, its web can be found in the higher branches.

Smelling the storm:>More prevalent prior to the Bermuda Cedar blight in the 1940s, many old-timers would talk of the smell of a storm after it has passed Bermuda’s shores when the high winds would carry the smell of cedar through the air.<$>

Shark oil: <$>Drawn from the liver of a puppy shark, the oil is kept in a sealed bottle and strung up outside in the sun. Tradition tells that in normal conditions, the oil will stay clear. When stormy weather is coming it turns cloudy and milky-white ahead of an impending hurricane.

Bermudians also look at other signs in nature to help them predict storms:

<$f"Wingdings-Regular">l The South Shore roars, particularly at Hungry and Grape Bays.

[bul] Birds roost low to the ground.

[bul] The weather will become intensely hot and humid.

[bul] Dogs start sniffing the air.

[bul] Sand appears to float on the water.

[bul] Breakers along the southwestern shore appear to boil.