Nature’s thermometer: What cricket chips say about the weather

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Crickets are known for their loud chirps throughout the summer, and sometimes even in the winter, but did you know they can also help tell the temperature?

Crickets are small insects that resemble grasshoppers. Their ear-piercing chirps are more than just background noise, they’re actually a natural way to estimate the outdoor temperature.

Crickets are ectotherms, which means they are cold-blooded animals that rely primarily on external sources, like the sun, to regulate their metabolic processes.

Shelly Cox, a naturalist with the City of St. Joseph, explained the science behind the chirp.

"Crickets are a part of a group of insects called the orthoptera, and they're in that same family with grasshoppers, katydids. " Cox said.

As temperatures drop, a cricket’s metabolism slows down, causing them to chirp less frequently. When temperatures rise, their metabolism speeds up, resulting in more rapid chirping.

The connection between cricket chirps and temperature was first documented by physicist Amos Dolbear. His research led to what’s now known as 'Dolbear’s Law,' which provides a simple equation to estimate the air temperature using cricket chirps.

According to Dolbear’s findings, if you count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and add 40, that equals the approximate temperature in degrees Fahrenheit -- usually within about two degrees.

While there are many types of crickets, the snowy tree cricket, often nicknamed the 'thermometer cricket,' is known for its particularly accurate chirping patterns when it comes to indicating temperature.

So, next time you are outside and don’t have a weather app handy, listen closely -- the crickets just might give you a quick forecast.