Article: Sages of the sun, rain and snow: sometimes I watch the TV weathermen gesticulating wildly in front of some gyrating schematic and wonder just how much they really know. But meteorologists are rarely held accountable when they call for sun and we get rain. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way of rating them to see just how dependable they really are?(ONLY IN SWITZERLAND)

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Sounds like a good idea, but it wouldn't be a first. This is exactly how the central Switzerland 'weather prophets' have shown the validity of their prognoses for the past 60 years.

I recently attended their semi-annual meeting to find out what they are all about, and to get a glimpse of what they think the winter will bring.

There are currently six weather prophets, all chosen for their remarkable climatic foresight. The tradition in Muotathal, Canton Schwyz, dates back for centuries, when elderly men would divine from the signs of nature what changes in climate were to be expected.

In earlier times, this a ...

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