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Crieff Man’s ‘Weather Rock’ More Accurate Than Met Office, Neighbours Claim

Retired postman Iain McGlashan-Dow says rock is 'wet when it's raining, dry when it's not, and gone when it's windy'.

Crieff, where forecasting is done by geology.

Crieff, where forecasting is done by geology. Photo: M J Richardson, “The Town Hall, Crieff (geograph 4587448)”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

CRIEFF — A retired postman in Crieff says the rock hanging from a string in his front garden has correctly forecast every day’s weather for 31 years, a record he believes “puts the Met Office to shame.”

“If the rock’s wet, it’s raining. If the rock’s dry, it’s not. If the rock’s gone, it’s windy,” explained Iain McGlashan-Dow, 77. “And if it’s covered in snow, I don’t go out.”

Neighbours now check the rock before school runs. “It’s never been wrong,” said one. “It doesn’t do the five-day outlook, mind. It’s very much a ‘now’ rock.”

Iain has turned down offers from a national broadcaster. “They wanted it to predict tomorrow,” he said. “That’s not what it’s for. It’s a rock, not a wizard.”

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