Anyone who has spent time in the Midwest will know that the weather there has a bit of an attitude problem—one second it’s sunny, the next your trash can is flying in the sky. As you might expect, the locals have plenty of sayings for it all, and you’ll only really understand them if you live there. Here are eleven Midwest weather phrases that you’ll only use if you’re a true native from the area.
Featured Image Credit: gpointstudio /Depositphotos.com.
“That Wind’ll Rip Your Face Off”
Nobody says “that wind’ll rip your face off” in the Midwest unless they’ve already been outside and regretted it—it’s the kind of weather where you walk out & instantly get slapped by the wind. It doesn’t matter if it’s 30 degrees or below zero because once that wind kicks up, it’s survival mode, although the cold isn’t even the worst part. Instead, it’s the constant whipping across the face that gets you, and if you’re downtown between tall buildings, good luck.
“That’s Good Sleeping Weather”
Whenever someone cracks their window at night and hears a soft breeze, they’ll say, “that’s good sleeping weather,” almost like it’s a review. Midwesterners use it to describe that sweet spot when the air outside is cool enough to turn off the fan and you don’t wake up sweating or shivering. It doesn’t have to be perfect—just not annoying, and people bring up this saying as a compliment to the sky.
“Looks Like It’s Settling In”
As soon as the rain starts tapping the windows or snow starts coming down steadily, you can guarantee someone’s already decided the day’s canceled, and they’ll say something like “looks like it’s settling in.” It’s the Midwest version of “Well, that’s that”, and it’s a phrase that’ll make you check how much food you’ve got in the house—you’re staying inside, whether you like it or not. Plans get pushed & people start talking about crockpots because you’re in for the long haul.
“You Can Feel It In Your Joints”
There’s no need for a weather app when someone in the house wakes up rubbing their shoulder and says, “Yeah, I can feel it in my joints.” But this isn’t a joke because they do feel it, and some say it’s the pressure—others say it’s just age. Either way, it happens enough that no one questions it, and regardless of how old you are, if your elbow starts acting weird, you might be forecasting better than the TV.
“Hope Your Sump Pump’s Working”
If someone says they “hope your sump pump’s working,” they’re either warning you or about to tell you a story where their basement turned into a small lake. It’s something you’ll hear when the rain starts hammering the ground, especially after a few wet days, and everybody with a house starts thinking about their sump pump. You’ll see people randomly walking downstairs just to “check something,” but really, they’re hoping they don’t find water where it shouldn’t be.
“Gonna Get All Four Seasons Today”
While everyone understands the saying, “gonna get all four seasons today,” it’s only really in the Midwest where it makes sense. This is an area where you could wake up to frost on your windshield, wear shorts by lunch, prepare for a downpour at 3, and wrap yourself in a blanket again by dinner. Some people even keep flip-flops and gloves in the same bag, just in case the weather changes again.
“If You Don’t Like the Weather, Wait Five Minutes”
Likewise, people love saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” after a sunshiny morning turns into hail at noon, although it’s less a joke and more of a coping mechanism. You learn to expect the unexpected and pack a hoodie & umbrella, as you never know what’ll happen. Weather apps will lie, but your neighbor with a bum knee and a garden hose? Somehow, they saw it coming.
“Looks Like Tornado Weather”
Practically all Midwesterners know what tornado weather looks like—it’s the creepy greenish sky & dead silence that are the biggest signs. Someone’ll glance up and say, “looks like tornado weather”, and suddenly everyone’s checking their phone for warnings, with people pausing mid-sentence to see if it’s true. There are no sirens yet, but everyone’s moving a little quicker, just in case they need to grab snacks and head to the basement in five minutes.
“I Can Smell Snow Coming”
Saying, “I can smell snow coming” will make outsiders think you’ve lost it, but Midwesterners swear it’s a thing because the air gets that cold, slightly metallic scent. It’s almost like wet pennies & freezer burn—once you get a whiff, you know snow’s on its way. You’ll even find some Midwesterners claiming their nose knows the difference between a dusting & a full-on storm, but either way, it still snows.
“It’s a Wet Cold, Not a Dry Cold”
Whenever someone visits Arizona and says, “Hey, 40° doesn’t feel that bad!”, they’ll come back to Indiana, step outside in 35°, and immediately want to crawl into a furnace. That’s the “wet cold” part of the saying, “It’s a wet cold, not a dry cold.” It goes right into your bones, and the cold hangs in your clothes—you see this kind of cold a lot around the Great Lakes, especially when the wind decides to make it worse.
“That Sky’s Got Shelf Cloud Written All Over It”
Shelf clouds are instantly recognizable to any Midwesterner, and as soon as they see one, it’s not a matter of if the storm’s coming—it’s when. Locals point it out as though they’re naming birds, and they’ll say, “that sky’s got shelf cloud written all over it” before they go tie down the grill. The clouds stretch across the whole sky, low & fast, and if you’re at a baseball game, you’ll see half the crowd head for the parking lot.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
Like our content? Be sure to follow us on MSN.
