Donal Hickey: Weather folklore to blow you away — or is it all just hot air?

What it might mean if your cat snuggles up close to the fireplace... from spotting swallows flying low to the science of cloud seeding we have a fascination with the weather

The folklore weather prediction that if a cat sleeps with her back to the fire, there will be either cold weather, a bad storm, or snow may actually be more of a reaction to what's currently happening rather than a foretelling of what's to come. 

The recent fine spell, so unusual in November, delighted many people and had us talking about good weather for a change.

It was caused by what is known as a ‘blocking high’ over the country — a stationary area of high pressure, or dry weather, which stops rain-bearing fronts from moving across it and can stay in place for weeks.