Skip to main content
Partly Cloudy icon
70º

Weather folklore: Can coffee predict the weather?

How bubbles may depict pressure changes

You don’t have to be a coffee connoisseur to know it can be a good morning pick-me-up -- but can that same cup of joe help predict the weather, too?

The next time you pour your coffee, take a look at the bubbles.

Bubbles in the center of the coffee cup have been known to indicate high pressure, which results in good, fair weather. Whereas when the bubbles move quickly to the outer edge of the cup, that might mean we are under an area of low pressure, which results in unsettled conditions like rain.

Is this just weather folklore, or is there truth to it? It’s hard to say, since not much research has been done on this.

Plus, conditions would have to be just right: the temperature of the coffee, a perfectly rounded mug, and detectable pressure change in our area.

Our Local 4 News morning team took the test -- you can watch in the video above. Try it for yourself the next time you enjoy a freshly poured cup of coffee!


About the Author
Ashlee Baracy headshot

Ashlee Baracy is an Emmy award-winning meteorologist who was born and raised in Metro Detroit. You can catch her 4Warn Weather forecasts weekday mornings, at noon and streaming on Local4+.

Loading...

Recommended Videos