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Why Does Everyone Talk About the Weather?

Maggie
Miscellaneous American rural scenes, 1925-30, Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-54356

I remember asking this question when I was a little girl. I grew up in a rural environment where everyone was dependent on either a personal garden or some commercial agriculture for their winter survival.

We all had a responsibility toward the family — even the children. I have written before about picking beans and stringing and breaking them in preparation for canning. We helped plant the garden while learning about crop rotation and weeding. It was not unusual to work helping with gardening chores.

What I did not understand was how the weather impacted the lives of everyone in our little valley. I remember early morning television and radio broadcasts dedicated to the farmers. People would ask each other “Think it will rain?” when they ran into each other at the store. My grandfather never went to bed until after he watched the evening news and weather forecast.

I only remember once or twice, when the creeks overflowed their banks and once when my dad and grandfather went to help fight fires. That was frightening.

Today, fewer and fewer people look to the weather because of gardens or crops. We are more concerned now about floods, fires, property damage, and conservation. This morning when I opened FaceBook, the first thing I saw was our drought map.

The area where I live is in a D2 Severe Drought area. This is extremely concerning because of the risk of fire is a valid concern. We live in the foothills of the mountains and we are surrounded by trees. As more dry leaves fall, they can serve as fuel in the event of a fire.

Our local town just sent out a notice asking for voluntary water conservation. We are not on city water, but it is good for everyone to be cautious. There must be concern about the water tables.

I think I talk more about the weather now than I ever have. From hurricanes, to fires, to blizzards, to flooding, to droughts…the weather is important. It may not be our survival because of a garden or crops, but it does indeed impact our survival.

How’s your weather?

18 thoughts on “Why Does Everyone Talk About the Weather?”

  1. I hardly ever talked about the weather when I lived in London. But since moving to a rural area where it affects my daily life, I talk about it almost all day! 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  2. Maggie, I grew up in an area that NEVER got enough rain in the summer. Everyone planted vegetable gardens and watched them burn up.

    We had party line phones, and the one thing that kept me from eavesdropping on our neighbors’ phone conversations was this: The only thing they talked about was whether or not we would ever get any rain!

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    1. Ugh, that sounds miserable.

      Ha! We had a party line, too, and adult conversations were never of any interest.

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  3. I think all over the world people talk about the weather. My friend in Kabul, Afghanistan and I always exchange weather reports in our emails! Today we had a sunny morning and just as I was deciding it was time to get out for a walk it started raining.

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  4. We’ve cooled off nicely. It was 97 degrees on September 29 and 77 a week later. I don’t think the temperature has gotten over 80. We’re still pretty dry, but we’re used to that.

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  5. I remember adults worrying about the creek behind our house flooding. We were in an urban area, so weather only impacted travel and the creek. I was just up near Boston. and I saw signs telling people “no outside watering” due to a water emergency. I hope your drought conditions ease before things get worse.

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  6. You’re right, weather is such an common topic, probably because it’s an easy topic. “Good morning, beautiful day!” “Good afternoon. .hot out there, isn’t it?” Yup, the weather is a nice ice-breaker. 😊

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  7. Yep, weather is always the top subject. Climate change has made things so different. We have had a VERY dry summer in the West. Lots of fires in western states. So very sad.

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  8. I moved from Sweden to Ireland at least partially because of the weather because I needed to get away from long winters with potential of snow and ice from November to April. I love the mild climate in the southwest of Ireland. I have no problem with rain, and if I want hot weather I can go to Italy (which we did when we lived in Sweden too). We’re in mid October and there’s no frost. I love that.
    But here, my impression is that people seem to expect Spanish summers for some reason, and they laugh about the weather all the time. Many people would love snow and ice, but I’m not sure they would if they had it every year for nearly half the year. My quality of life is much improved with the Irish weather actually – this year is the first for a long time when I can enjoy the autumn and not spend it in agony because the winter is coming soon.
    Snow happens in Ireland too (everyone remembers March 2018) but it’s rare with heavy snowfalls and snow usually disappears quickly.
    Here people don’t talk about drought – but the talk of the day can be like “Beautiful morning!” or “..but at least it’s dry!”.

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    1. Susanne, I am so envious that you have lived in such beautiful places. It is my dream to travel to Ireland as many of my ancestors were born there. I imagine Sweden is beautiful as well but I understand how hard the winters must be. I once read an article about Gotland and thought it would also be a wonderful place to visit. I hope you enjoy your fall in Ireland. Perhaps you will post some photos? Thank you for reading and leaving such a nice comment.

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      1. Yes, it’s beautiful here, and Sweden is also incredibly beautiful when nature is alive. 🙂 I hope to post som autumn photos eventually! Just that I’m incredibly busy all the time and haven’t taken time for photography lately but it will get better…

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  9. At present weather seems to be one of the few things any two people can talk about without emotions getting out of control. As long, that is, if neither mentioned global warming!

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  10. My husband and I have legit conversations about the weather, particularly “Sleepin Weather” which makes our children roll their eyes. We’re very old now and comment on the height of the corn and the level of the crick. It’s all very cat’s in the cradle, as we become our parents.
    The weather here today was fall fabulous. It was 38 and damp in the morning and sunny and 54 in the afternoon. Crisp. It will not rain here soon. My left arm feels pretty good. I could probably hold a mug with it if I had to 😉
    The older I get, the more the weather dictates my life. There’s a small garden, sure, but there are always outdoor chores, and I don’t like to drive in the rain, soo..
    I hope you get some rains soon. Keep safe, Maggie.

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