Could it be said that the month of March is coming in like a lion in Alabama?

That’s an old piece of weather folklore that goes something like this: If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.

Rain and storms were moving across the state as of Friday morning, also the first day of March. Some areas are seeing lightning and thunder and heavy rain at times.

Severe weather isn’t expected in the state today. The severe weather outlook for Friday from the Storm Prediction Center (shown at the top of this post) is forecasting the possibility of regular thunderstorms for all of Alabama, but no organized risk for severe weather.

There is also no severe weather in the forecast for at least the next few days.

The Farmer’s Almanac takes a look at the lion-lamb bit of weather lore, and says the saying came about because of beliefs of those from long ago.

According to the Almanac “people often believed that bad spirits could affect the weather adversely, so they were cautious as to what they did or did not do in certain situations.”

Some of those age-old beliefs were about balance, both in weather and in life. So, the thinking goes, if a month came in on the harsh side (like a lion), it would go out more calmly (like a lamb).

Of course March can be a turbulent month, marking the transition from colder weather of winter to warmer temperatures of spring. The clashes of those air masses can sometimes produce severe weather.

In Alabama March is No. 2 for number of tornadoes, coming in only behind April, according to data from the National Weather Service.

The lion-lamb lore is maybe the most famous one for March, but according to the Almanac there are others. Some of those listed by the Almanac are:

* A dry March and a wet May; fill barns and bays with corn and hay.

* As it rains in March, so it rains in June.

* March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.

* So many mists in March you see, so many frosts in May will be.

* Is’t on St. Joseph’s day (19th) clear, So follows a fertile year; Is’t on St. Mary’s (25th) bright and clear, Fertile is said to be the year.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has its own slew of outlooks for the coming weeks, and all are suggesting Alabama’s weather could be warmer than average and rainier than average.

By the way, the Farmer’s Almanac’s forecast for March (which covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) calls for “Intensifying storm rolls north along coast, bringing moderate-to-heavy rains, gusty winds.”

Here’s the Almanac’s more detailed forecast for the month for all of its Southeast zone:

* March 1-3: Sunshine fades; warm.

* March 4-7: Intensifying storm rolls north along coast, bringing moderate-to-heavy rains, gusty winds.

* March 8-11: Considerable cloudiness, showers.

* March 12-15: Drier, much colder.

* March 16-19: Turning much warmer.

* March 20-23: Coastal storm brings a wind, rain; severe storms FL.

* March 24-27: Very warm days progress east to Atlantic Coast. Severe thunderstorms MI, AL, southern, western TN. Tornadoes possible. Then clearing, cold with late-season frosts FL Panhandle.

* March 28-31: Showers, thunderstorms.