A new study by the National Weather Service concluded that an uptick in bread and milk sales is an accurate predictor of significant winter storms. The study looks at all the major winter storms over the past 20 years. It showed that the demand for bread and milk increased by 200% the week before a major storm was forecasted.

National Weather Service Spokesmen Peter Dalaco said “The traditional thought that the announcement of a storm drove milk and bread sales is just not true. It’s actually the other way around, in that people are stocking up on bread and milk before they know a storm is coming, providing insight into their local weather pattern.”

The study looked at the bizarre behavior in animals prior to a major weather event and sought to see if human behavior was affected as well. Researchers found no other key indicators of abnormal behavior in humans outside the purchasing of perishable food products.

“This phenomenon is valuable to meteorologists,” said Dalaco. “By looking at the sales data it can give us important clues to current and upcoming winter weather, which can help us forecast better than traditional radar.”

The research concluded that when bread and milk shelves are cleared it is an indication of impending severe weather, and should serve as a warning to residents they are in the path of a storm.