February fill dyke, be it black or be it white

Meaning: Heavy February rains or snows replenish water sources regardless of their visible form.

Origin: English weather lore about February filling the ditches, or dykes, with rain or snow. Thomas Tusser's farming verse of 1557 has "Feuerell fill dyke, doth good with his snowe," and John Ray's collection of 1670 gives the full rhyme, adding that if it be white, it's the better to like.