Last Updated on September 1, 2015 5:15 pm
High Country residents can expect at least 13 snows this upcoming winter, according to a long standing Appalachian Mountain region tradition.
The tradition of placing a bean in a jar to predict the upcoming snow fall totals dates back to the Native Americans by some history accounts. For every foggy morning in August either a big bean is used for a heavy fog, or small bean for a light fog. The total number at the end of the month is used to predict the total number of snows. As winter sets in then take a big bean out for a big snow, and a small bean for a light snow. Those that have participated in the tradition for many years advise that a “big snow” is four inches or more.
The Facebook page Watauga County and Boone Online Bean Jar noted 13 total beans for August 2015. Of course results may vary just a little depending on different locations in the county. Based on comments into the Watauga Roads Facebook page, the average comes out to be 12 beans for the month.
