Local predictor calls for dry spring

It’s going to be a dry spring in Clovis this year — at least that’s what a local weather predictor says.

Almost every year on March 22, Clovis resident Chief Joseph Weldon Crim, 80, observes the weather at sunrise on his ranch in Lazbuddie, Texas. By looking at the direction of the wind blowing through his campfire, Crim said he can predict how the spring weather will turn out for the year.

Crim is a descendant of the Plains Indian tribe. Crim is one-eighth Plains Indian, but he said his accuracy for predicting weather is 80 percent.

On Tuesday, Crim performed his annual weather ritual, but the recent burn ban in Parmer County prevented him from lighting a fire this year.

“It (the wind) was blowing out of the Southwest and going Northeast,” Crim said. “It’s not much rain this spring — not good. We have a dry spring this year,” he said.

Not having a fire and smoke makes the prediction more difficult, Crim said, but he can still make his guess based on feeling the direction of the wind.

The ritual was passed down to Crim through his family for generations, beginning with his grandfather. Crim said he’s been predicting weather his whole life, but he gave up the tradition the past couple of years due to health problems.

“I stopped because I’m 80 years old — I’m just old,” Crim joked.

After the encouragement of his friends, Crim wanted to start the ritual back up again this year.

“My friends said, ‘Don’t you quit.’”