Storms

Storms have usually been considered an omen of divine wrath, and in
most cultures a person struck and killed by lightning was thought to
have been directly struck down by a deity. In ancient Rome a person
killed this way was hastily buried without extensive mourning rites,
and it was also frowned upon to rebuild any home struck by lightning.

In Britain in past centuries, a storm was usually considered the work
of the devil; witches were also often accused of raising storms and
at witch trials accusations were often made of deliberate attempts to
damage property or sink ships by raising a storm. Some wise-women and
cunning-men sold knotted threads to sailors which were supposed to
have the power of the wind bound into them; one knot would be untied
to release a wind until the sailor had as much as he needed.

Some people still cover all the mirrors in their house during a
thunderstorm; it used to also be believed that windows and doors
should be left open so that if the thunder got into the house, it
could get out without having to damage anything. A comforting
superstition states that lightning never strikes twice in the same
place, but since many high buildings have been struck repeatedly, it
is also untrue. An old rhyme speaks of which tree is least likely to
attract a lightning strike, and therefore should be sheltered under
if caught outside during a storm:

'Beware of the oak, it draws the stroke,
Avoid the ash, it courts the flash,
Creep under a thorn, it will save you from harm'.

A winter thunderstorm was once thought to be an omen of death for a
great man.
Storm Weather Lore: 'Thunder in spring rain will bring'. Thunder in
the evening often means several days of wet, sultry weather.