What date are the Ice Saints actually on? And, as a farmer's rule goes, will they really bring frost again?
Every year, summer is just around the corner when an old farmer's rule threatens with a sudden return of winter: the ice saints should be able to bring frost again in spring. SÜDWEST24 reveals what is behind the weather phenomenon and on which date you should take out your winter jacket again.
When are the Ice Saints?
The Ice Saints are known by very different names: Strict Lords, Ice Men, May Frosts. And then there are the names of the individual actual saints whose name days the spring season is associated with. There are strong regional differences when it comes to the farmers' rule. At its core, however, it means one thing above all:
The Ice Saints begin on May 11th and end on May 15th every year. In the meantime, anything cold and even frosty should be possible with the weather. Depending on the region, different weather phenomena may occur on individual days. These are the Ice Saints and their respective days of remembrance:
Mamertus: May 11th
Pankratius: May 12th
Servatius: May 13th
Boniface: May 14th
Sophia: May 15th
No summer before the Ice Saints?
The various farming rules for the Ice Saints resulted from generations of weather observations and were probably important for survival in the past, especially for sowing. Because frost can mean the end for germinating plants. The 100-year calendar also predicts the weather for 2024 from centuries of weather data.
If you trust his forecast, we will apparently be spared the May frost in 2024. Despite the different meanings of the ice saints, one often reads different versions of the days in May, saying that summer does not begin before and that there will be no more frost afterwards. For example it says:
Before Boniface there was no summer, after Sophie there was no frost.
Pawn rule for the Ice Saints
Ice Saints in May 2024 – probability of frost is close to zero
So if you want to be absolutely sure that your plants will survive into the summer or longer, you should wait until after May 15th to plant them, according to the farmer's rule. By the way, if summer suddenly breaks out after the cold, you can protect your plants from the heat, as LUDWIGSHAFEN24 knows. Statistically speaking, the Ice Saints' pawn rule is no longer particularly reliable, at least today.
Given the right weather conditions, northern polar air can bring us cold again. However, according to kachelmannwetter.com, the probability of ground frost in mid-May is almost zero if you look at the weather data from the last few decades. In any case, reliable weather forecasts can only be made for a maximum period of two weeks. And even then, a lot can still change. (paw)