Using Crickets as a Thermometer

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN TELL THE TEMPERATURE BY COUNTING THE CHIRPS OF A CRICKET? IT’S TRUE! HERE’S THE FORMULA.

Back in 1897, a scientist named Amos Dolbear published an article “The Cricket as a Thermometer” that noted the correlation between the ambient temperature and the rate at which crickets chirp.

The formula expressed in that article became known as Dolbear’s Law. It’s surprisingly simple:

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Celsius

Count the number of chirps in 25 seconds, divide by 3, then add 4 to get the temperature.

Example: 48 chirps /(divided by) 3 + 4 = 20° C

Use the method you prefer and then convert to degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit using our temperature converter.

To find out this week’s weather in your region, see our seven-day forecast. (See which one’s more accurate! :-)