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How to Tell the Temperature by the Chirp of a Cricket

It may sound like an old wives' tale, but listening to a chirping cricket can tell you the outside temperature. Male crickets make noises by rubbing their wings together, according to the Library of Congress' "Everyday Mystery" science facts. When it's cold outside, the cold-blooded cricket cannot move quickly, resulting in fewer chirps. The hotter the weather, the more crickets chirp. That means determining the outside temperature is just a matter of listening, counting and using basic math skills.

Things You'll Need

Clock or stopwatch

Instructions

Simple Method
- 1
  Find a clock with a second hand in your house where you can hear the sound of crickets outside. Use a stopwatch if you have one.
- 2
  Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds.
- 3
  Add 37 to the number of chirps you just heard. This is the approximate outside temperature in Fahrenheit, according to the Library of Congress.
Dolbear's Law
- 4
  Count the number of chirps in one minute to use Dolbear's Law, a more complicated but accurate way of determining the outdoor temperature.
- 5
  Subtract 40 from the number of chirps. Divide this number by four, then add 50. The final answer is the approximate outside temperature. American physicist Amos Dolbear came up with his formula in 1898.
- 6
  Count the number of chirps heard in 13 seconds and add 40 to this number for a simplification of Dolbear's Law formulated at Dartmouth College.

Insects & Science