Weather rock

For other uses, see Weather stone.

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Weather stone at the Craven Arms pub and cruck barn, Barden, Craven, North Yorkshire, reputedly more accurate than Paul Hudson, the BBC weather man

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Pond at nature reserve in Kinsey Heath, Audlem, Cheshire, with tripod from which a weather rock hangs

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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 not visible, 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 has white splats on it, watch out for birds.

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 in Erwinna, PA at 40°29'08.9"N 75°05'47.1"W This is the home of Steve Minck.

Variations

In Australia this joke is similar but with a string rather than a rock. It includes "If the string is on fire then there is a bushfire."

External links

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