Fun Fact

[Mikey]

Is
the old adage “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.
Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” true, or is it
just an old wives’ tale?



Within
limits, there is truth in this saying.


Have you ever heard anyone use the proverb above?

Shakespeare did. He said something similar in his play, Venus
and Adonis. “Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,
Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field, Sorrow to the shepherds,
woe unto the birds, Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”

In the Bible, (Matthew XVI: 2-3,) Jesus said, “When in evening,
ye say, it will be fair weather: For the sky is red. And in the
morning, it will be foul weather today; for the sky is red and lowering.”

Weather lore has been around since people needed to predict the
weather and plan their activities. Sailors and farmers relied on
it to navigate ships and plant crops.

But can weather lore truly predict the weather or seasons?


Weather lore concerning the appearance of the sky, the conditions
of the atmosphere, the type or movement of the clouds, and the
direction
of the winds may have a scientific basis and likely can predict

the weather.

In order to understand why “Red sky at night, sailor’s
delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” can
predict the weather, we must understand more about weather and
the colors
in the sky.

Usually, weather moves from west to east, blown by the
westerly trade winds. This means storm systems generally move in
from the West.

The colors we see in the sky are due to the rays
of sunlight being split into colors of the spectrum as they
pass
through the atmosphere and ricochet off the water vapor and particles
in the atmosphere. The amounts of water vapor and dust particles
in the atmosphere are good indicators of weather conditions. They
also determine which colors we will see in the sky.

During sunrise and sunset

the sun is low in the sky, and it transmits light through the
thickest part of the atmosphere. A red sky suggests an atmosphere
loaded

with dust and moisture particles. We see the red, because red wavelengths
(the longest in the color spectrum) are breaking through the atmosphere.

The shorter wavelengths, such as blue, are scattered and broken
up.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

When we see a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun
is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles.
This usually indicates high pressure and stable air coming in from
the west. Basically good weather will follow.

Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning.

A red sunrise reflects the dust particles of a system that has just
passed from the west. This indicates that a storm system may be
moving to the east. If the morning sky is a deep fiery red, it means
a high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain is on its way.


To learn more about weather lore and proverbs see the following
Related Web Sites and For Further Reading sections.