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Expert on Farmers' Almanac Rule

If it rained on Good Friday, a …

According to a traditional farmers' saying, rain on Good Friday means a dry summer is ahead—but is there any truth to it?
According to a traditional farmers' saying, rain on Good Friday means the summer will be dry—but is there any truth to it? Photo: Getty Images /anyaivanova
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April 2, 2026, 6:00 am | Read time: 3 minutes

Farmers’ sayings have been part of traditional knowledge about weather and agriculture for centuries. There are predictions for church holidays like Good Friday as well. A well-known saying goes: “If it rains on Good Friday, a dry but fruitful year will follow.” But how much truth is there in this old weather wisdom? myHOMEBOOK spoke with meteorologist Jörg Riemann to find out if this farmers’ saying can be trusted.

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How Much Truth Is in the Good Friday Farmers’ Saying

Farmers’ sayings that refer to specific days like Easter are generally tricky, explains Jörg Riemann from Wettermanufaktur in response to a myHOMEBOOK inquiry. “Easter always falls on different days. It’s not like Christmas, which always occurs on the same days.” So the saying “If it rains on Good Friday, a dry but fruitful year will follow” isn’t accurate. Riemann explains that with farmers’ sayings, you usually need to consider a period of time.

This also applies to Good Friday. “For example, if it’s too warm in April and May, then you can say that in two out of three cases, the summer will also be too warm. Conversely, if April and May are too cool, we can expect a relatively cool summer.” The expert confirms, however, that there is also a 66 percent chance of a dry summer if it rains too much in April and May. He emphasizes: “Too much means more than what would normally be expected.”

Related: If April has more rain than sunshine, then June will be…

What the Weather Will Be Like at Easter

Whether the Good Friday farmers’ saying is true or not is up for debate. “The Easter Bunny will arrive on Sunday with dry feet in most areas,” reveals the expert. Temperatures vary slightly, Riemann explains. In the northwest of the country, they range from 55 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the southeast, they are around 68 degrees.

“This year, the weather for Easter is rather mixed. It gets nicer day by day,” the expert explains. On Good Friday, we can expect a mix of sun and clouds, and there may even be some rain in places. Temperatures will range from 46 to 61 degrees Fahrenheit.

Holy Saturday will also be mixed but slightly warmer, Riemann reveals. “Temperatures on Holy Saturday will be between 50 and 59 degrees in the east and around 63 or 64 degrees in the west.”

On Easter Sunday, the weather doesn’t look too bad, according to the expert. “The low pressure gradually loses strength, and then we actually have nice weather.” However, isolated local showers are still possible. The nicest day, with high-pressure influence, will be Easter Monday. Sun and clouds will alternate, and temperatures will rise locally to up to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@myhomebook.de.

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