What can Penn squirrels tell us about the weather?

By Elyas Tecle 11/08/15 4:00pm

Meteorology is a science comprised of facts related to the processes and phenomena of the atmosphere. But there are times when facts can be put aside and meteorologists turn to legend to make their predictions.

Take the weather proverb about our campus’ favorite animal:

“Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry,

Will cause snow to gather in a hurry.”

Every fall, an abundance of squirrels roams around campus in places like the Quadrangle and Locust Walk. During the early parts of the year, they can most likely be found frolicking through bushes in the warm summer sun and attracting tourists. But, come fall and winter, there won’t be any more 80-degree days, and the squirrels will begin to prepare for the winter months. Nowadays, you’ll see squirrels scouring for acorns rather than posing for pictures.

So, why do squirrels matter when it comes to our weather?

Well, think about it this way. Squirrels conserve acorns and nuts to prepare for hibernation in the winter, right? In that case, the more food that they conserve, the longer they expect to hibernate that winter. There are some years where the climate causes an abundance of acorns or the opposite in other years. The years where fewer acorns are seen commonly coincide with years with relatively low snowfall for the Philadelphia region. On the other hand, years that see more acorns, and thus more “squirrely” activity, tend to see more snowfall.

So, what about this year?

A lot of acorns are lying around campus, but not many more than usual. The ones I’ve seen so far are a little bigger than normal, so it’s possible that squirrels are picking up less in quantity. In the last two weeks or so, I’ve seen a large number of acorns disappearing from the ground, meaning that the squirrels are in the process of burying them. This could mean that the hibernation process is beginning. However, a late start to storing acorns may not necessarily mean anything directly about an early or late start to winter.

Although most of this is just theory and folklore with hard evidence yet to surface, the trend has proven to be true on more than one occasion. So, next time you see a squirrel carrying around acorns outside of Houston Hall, take note — they may be trying to tell you something about this winter!

Elyas Tecle is a College freshman and meteorologist reporting on weather for The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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