How to KNOW it's about to rain in Disneyland when... (TRUE STORY)

[Beatle_johnny]

I was just going through our pictures of our February Trip... when it rained 4 or the 7 days... and during that time I noticed something that I remembered from my Childhood.

This is 100% True.... I bet my 1967 Virgin Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Mono on it!

When I was a boy growing up on the coast in Washington, my father told me to took up and look at the seaguls. The birds were all circling. He asked me why they were and I said someone just have dropped a thingie of McDonald's fries (See--- even back then, I was a smartie pants).

He said, that would only be true if they were lower. These Birds were high in the air. And it's an old Canadian Indian Legend that the birds know there is about to be a rainstorm.

I saw this again in Disneyland, 30 years after my father told me. Sure enough, on many occations while at Disneyland, I saw Seaguls circling quite high and each time, within 10 minutes, there would be a short downpour of rain.

It got so common for us that we would seek indoors prior to rainstorms and always just miss getting soaked.

The science behind the myth is that the birds are circling because a low pressure "bubble" has entered that area and there is no prevailing wind direction. The birds are searching for a wind direction. Very shortly, that Bubble will be converged upon by multiple sources (Nature abhours a vaccume) and these multiple pressure convergances will cause instant and intense rain.

I Swear on my 1967 S.... og I said that. Anyways... for everyone down there now... llok up from time to time... If you see the birds circling in large numbers, move indoors. The storm will be very unstable and pass shortly.

I even took pictures of the circling birds over the Rivers Of America. Sure enough, it was only 1 of about 10 examples of how we knew it was about to pour.

Good Luck!

(And I am from Vancouver... we KNOW Rain!)

[aussiedave]

Wow i'll have to make sure i watch the birds in the future!!

[OSU2k1]

Being from Oregon, we know that wet stuff too. I will have to pay attention, I've never noticed!

[tomrules1955]

Hmmmm...I live very close to a series of percolation lakes off the Santa Ana river and we have water birds around all the time and I have seen what you described, However I have seen this throughout the year. I alway thought the birds were looking for my truck for target practice. Next time I see this I'll check the wearther

[Dopey's Girl]

Shades of Dr. George!

And I'll bet my Vee-Jay Records Songs, Pictures, and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles LP with-the-flap on it!

[Lukey114]

Im from Oregon too and i know how it is. Almost can feel when rain is coming.
But i have never heard that myth (which my mom is from canada so i dont know why), but it sounds very interesting, i'll have to check it out.

[DisneyIPresume]

I went to college at UC Davis, about 80 miles from the ocean. I noticed this too. Before and during a rain all of a sudden seagulls would be appearing in the sky. I noticed this on my own, because seagulls aren't something you see everyday so far inland.

Disneyland however is not far enough inland for this to be indicitive of whether or not there will be rain. For all intents and purposes. Disneyland sits pretty much on the coast itself. It also sits between two rivers, and the surrounding area was historically swamp land.

So while I don't think the sight of seagulls indicates rain is on the way, at least as far as Orange County is concerned, perhaps the circular motion of the gulls may be more accurate. I'll have to look more closely at this from now on.

[Kritter]

I thought they were circling because they were looking for a target.

[TheGrimGrinner]

A picture you say? Where is this picture!?

[Undiscryble]

WOW!
I was at Disneyland yesturday & it totally started raining on us... unfortunately I didn't know to look for any bird-signs, which may have helped us out a bit.
I will definitely keep my eyes open next time though- Thanks for the sharing!

[monotonehell]

I can top that. I can "sense" the updraft before it rains in most cases. My friends think it's magic. But it's not magic, just experience.

[Beatle_johnny]

A picture you say? Where is this picture!?

Well, it's just a [picture of about 200 birds circling... nothing exciting. I can post it if you wish but the background is mostly sky and 1 or 2 tree tops.... it really does not proove my point or that the picture was even taken in Disneyland! But if you wish, I'll post it.