Is �Red sky at night, sailor’s delight,Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning� true? Everyday Mysteries 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. In the mid-latitudes, the prevailing winds are westerlies. 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 can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way. To learn more about weather lore and proverbs see the following Related Web Sites and For Further Reading sections. Related Web Sites Weather Forecasting Through the Ages , by Steve Graham, Claire Parkinson, and Mous Chahine - This article from the Earth Observatory at NASA discusses the history of predicting weather. Weather Folklore and Sayings by James White - A brief discussion of popular weather folklore and sayings Weather Proverbs. True or False? - This Web site discusses weather proverbs that, under the right circumstances, hold up to science. Further Reading Allaby, Michael. Weather lore. In Encyclopedia of weather and climate, vol. 2. New York, Facts on File, c2002. p. 625-636. Christian, Spencer, and Antonia Felix.

Can it really rain frogs? The world’s strangest weather events. New York, Wiley, 1997. 121 p. (Juvenile). Dolan, Edward F. The Old farmer’s almanac of weather lore: the fact and fancy behind weather predictions, superstitions, old-time sayings, and traditions. Dublin, N.H., Yankee Books, c1988. 224 p. Forrester, Frank H. Weather lore- Facts and fancies. In 1001 questions answered about the weather. New York, Dover, 1981. p. 278-291. Freier, G.D. Weather proverbs: how 600 proverbs, sayings, and poems accurately explain our weather. Tucson, AZ, Fisher Books, c1992. 214 p. Garriott, Edward B. Weather folk-lore and local weather signs. Washington, Gov't Printing Office, 1903. 153 p. ESRL Global Monitoring Division - Global Radiation Group Global Radiation Group National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Earth System Research Laboratory Global Monitoring Division This old saying actually has a scientific explanation.

It relates to moving high and low surface-pressure weather systems, and the way that the colors in sunlight are scattered differently by dirty and clean atmospheres. This is the explanation of how these phenomena combine to color our sunrises and sunsets. If you look at a global map of surface pressure, you will see a string of alternating high-pressure and low-pressure areas. That is because pressure patterns are relative; i.e., if a region of lower pressure exists, it must have higher pressure on either side. Low pressure is associated with bad weather (sailor take warning), and high pressure with good weather (sailor's delight). Low pressure causes air to converge (to try to "fill" the low), and converging air causes upward motion, which in turn produces clouds and precipitation. In contrast, air diverges from the center of a high-pressure area. This causes downward motion, which suppresses cloud formation. A temperature inversion (temperature increasing with height) forms at the level of the troposphere where this downward motion is strongest. This happens because downward-moving air experiences higher pressure as it descends and thus is compressed. According to the laws of physics, air heats when it is compressed.

Vertical motion is inhibited at the level of the inversion; thus dirty air containing suspensions of soot, dust, and other particles (known as aerosols) is trapped near the surface. So, atmospheric conditions in a high-pressure area are typically cloud free and dirty, and those in a low-pressure area are cloudy and relatively clean (fewer aerosols). Light from the sun is made up of the colors in the rainbow, which correspond to different wavelengths of radiation. The blues are made up of short wavelengths and the reds of longer wavelengths. The radiative properties of a dirty atmosphere differ from those of a clean atmosphere. That is because light from the sun is scattered differently by air molecules than by aerosols (which are relatively larger). Air molecules scatter the shorter wavelengths more efficiently, and that is why the sky is blue! Dust or aerosols scatter the longer wavelengths (red light) more efficiently, and most of that light is scattered in the forward direction (the direction in which the light is moving). Also, at sunrise and sunset the sun's rays travel through a long path of atmosphere, so these scattering processes are very efficient at those times.

Therefore, sunlight traveling through a long path of dirty atmosphere at sunrise or sunset is made up of primarily the reddish wavelengths when it reaches the observer (e.g., look at the color of smog in Los Angeles or Denver). A cleaner atmosphere at sunrise or sunset is colored by a mixture of all but the blue colors, giving it a yellowish appearance. Now you have the science behind the adage. Picture yourself on a ship in the middle of a mid-latitude ocean. There the wind (and thus storm paths) is from west to east. It is morning and you are watching the sunrise. It is red. Since it is morning you are looking east, and the red sky indicates that there is high pressure there. Because you are in the mid-latitudes, the high is moving eastward--away from you. That could only mean that a low, and very likely an associated storm, is moving toward you from the west. Sailor take warning! Now picture yourself watching the sunset from the ship, and the western sky is red. That means that an area of high pressure is to your west, the westerlies are moving it toward you, and good weather is on the way--sailor's delight!

Note that this only works in the belt of westerlies, from about 30 degrees to 60 degrees latitude in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The region 30 degrees on either side of the equator is characterized by easterlies (the trade winds). This adage would be opposite in that region. Red Sky at Night ... - Farmers' Almanac Best Weather For Gardening Tasks Have you ever looked at the sky during sunrise or sunset and it seemed like it was nearly on fire? Ablaze with hues of orange and red, it looks frighteningly beautiful and surreal. The saying “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning” is inspired by this very image of the sky. Sailors used such sayings to predict weather as they navigated their ships through the seas, and farmers relied on such sayings to predict rainfall and the best time to plant their crops. But what is the reality behind such weather folklore? The color changes that we see in the sky have to do with the wavelengths in the color spectrum. As the rays of sunlight bounce off the water vapor in the atmosphere they pass through, they split into the colors of the spectrum.

Red skies suggest that the clouds are filled with a lot of dust and moisture. If there is a red sky at sunset, it is due to high levels of pressure and stable air conditions that are coming in from the west. Because the west is generally the direction that storms move in from, stable air in that direction generally indicates good weather. If the sky is red at sunrise it is generally an indication that dust particles from a storm have passed from the west, moving east and a deep red indicates a high water concentration in the clouds that could mean heavy rain. Using the simple image of the sky to predict weather may seem slightly over simplified today when we have the use of such modern technology as radar and satellites, but these sayings are based in logic and truth that helped pre-modern people to understand the complexities of Mother Nature. Kyla Baxter is a recent graduate of the University of Southern Maine. She received her undergraduate degree in social and behavioral science and will be participating in a work study program in New Zealand in the fall. Writing has been a long time passion of hers and she hopes to pursue a career in professional writing in the future. She feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to intern with the Farmers’ Almanac.

"Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight." "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight." Written by : Judith Yeung Sometimes the sky appears very colourful around sunrise and sunset. At these times, the sun shines from a low angle. Sun rays have to go through a thick atmosphere, resulting in scattering by water vapour, water droplets, dust particles etc. in the air. Light with shorter wavelength, e.g. cyan, blue or purple, is scattered away, leaving red, orange and yellow, turning the sky reddish. In mid-latitude region, storms and rains usually move from west to east. A reddish sky around sunrise means a lot of water vapour already present in the atmosphere. As clouds come in from the west, rainy weather is thus expected. This explains why "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning". A reddish sky near dusk means that weather has improved in the upstream area to the west. Sunlight scattered by the atmosphere is reflected by clouds, making the sky red. As the clouds overhead have moved eastward, the weather is expected to improve. That explains why "Red sky at night, sailors delight".

The relationship between red sky and weather is rather complicated in real life. One example is that near dusk, the sky can become reddish temporarily after rain. Besides, especially in low latitude areas such as Hong Kong, weather systems sometimes move from east to west, e.g. typhoons, and not from west to east. Therefore, one cannot fully understand how the weather changes simply by just looking at the colour of the sky. To make an accurate weather forecast, it is necessary to take account of other weather factors and carry out a full analysis. 2003 Matthew 16:3-7 - MSG - red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You ... Hide Verse Numbers Close 3 red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather - why can't you read the signs of the times? 4 An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you'll get is the Jonah sign." Then he turned on his heel and walked away. 5 On their way to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring along bread.

6 In the meantime, Jesus said to them, "Keep a sharp eye out for Pharisee-Sadducee yeast." 7 Thinking he was scolding them for forgetting bread, they discussed in whispers what to do. Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning... And Other Nautical Lore Sayings – gCaptain Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning… And Other Nautical Lore Sayings January 6, 2014 (c) Shutterstock/apiguide Ever since people tried to navigate the seaways, the prevailing weather has always been very crucial to the success of expeditions. To steer away from trouble like storms and hurricanes, obviously, but also to put to service natural resources long before wind and solar energy were standard terms. With tall ships completely dependent on wind to carry on with their businesses, the understanding of trade winds was the obvious subject of ‘weather forecasting’. Thus, early on, a thorough understanding of and a diligent attempt to forecast the weather elements had to be part of any good navigator’s skill set.

Since humans’ early records to understand the weather, from Aristotle’s Meteorologica around 340 B.C., a philosophical treatise with theories about the formation of rain, clouds, hail, wind, thunder, lightning, and hurricanes, meteorology has evolved into a highly quantitative science to model the movement and interaction of natural elements; think of the Earth as a huge sphere of 12,800 kilometers (8,000 miles) in diameter covered with a 40-kilometer skin of various gases, whose concentration varies both spatially and temporarily. Keeping in mind that this sphere has a bumpy surface and is rotating all the time, its tilt about the vertical access varying with the season, and also, that this sphere is heated from 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) away with about eight million quadrillion BTUs of solar energy each year reaching its surface (about 20,000 times the energy consumed by all human activity in a year), thus there is an always changing interaction among the factors determining the weather.

Long before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US and the Met Office with the Shipping Forecast on BBC’s Radio 4 in the UK, sailors and navigators were crystallizing shortcuts of weather patterns to become weather lore about the appearance of the sky, the shape and type of clouds, the conditions of the atmosphere, and the direction of the winds. At sunrise and sunset, sunlight is set low on the horizon and travels disproportionally longer distance in the lower atmospheric strata in order to reach the earth surface; thus, sunlight spending more time traveling the atmospheric strata determine the weather, and thus providing more clues for its forecast. At noon, sunlight hits the surface of the Earth vertically – at least at the Equator – penetrating uniformally all atmospheric strata, and providing less of a clue about weather changes. Preponderance of dry dust particles in the air is a proxy of lack of water vapors in the air (predecessor to rain), and thus dry air particles act as a prognosticator for lack of immediate raining.

In the Northern Hemisphere and around the mid latitudes (‘Horse Latitudes’, where becalmed vessels often threw overboard horses due to lack of water onboard the vessels), usually prevailing winds move from west to the east; whether easterly moving dry dust particles were located westerly or easterly to the observer, it has been a fair quick rule of thumb about weather forecasting. Based on these rudimentary principles, here are few interesting nautical weather sayings for old salts and landlubbers alike: Red sky at night, sailor’s delight, Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Variations of the theme: Evening red and morning gray, help the traveler on his way. Evening gray and morning red bring down a rain upon his head. Orange or yellow, can hurt a fellow. These are perennial favorites of weather sayings with interesting scientific explanation behind it: in the mid latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, typically weather moves from west to east, blown by the westerly trade winds, meaning that 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 particles and water vapor in the atmosphere. The amount of dust particles and water vapor 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 that lower atmospheric strata are loaded mainly with dust particles (when atmospheric pressure is high, the lower air holds more dust than water vapors) and low in water vapor concentration. When we see a red sky at sunset, 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, meaning that effectively good weather will follow. 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. 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. A red sky in the morning can be caused by the dawn light bouncing off cirrus ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. Cirrus clouds can be at the leading edge of a frontal system and so this can also work to signal poor incoming weather. This weather saying has been referred to in the Bible (Matthew XVI: 2-3,) when Jesus said to the fishermen, “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.” Several centuries later, Shakespeare in his play Venus and Adonis says: ‘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.’ A comparable saying, incorporating the gray color has it as: The evening red and morning gray Are sure signs of a fine day, But the evening gray and the morning red, Makes the sailor shake his head.

Gray sky at night means that the western air is filled with moisture and it will likely rain soon. Based on similar scientific analysis, also: A rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning. In the morning, in the northern hemisphere a rainbow out to the west is caused by the sun in the east refracting on water droplets to the west, similarly to producing red skies. And moisture in the air will be heading east likely to produce rain. Likewise, Rainbow to windward, foul fall the day; Rainbow to leeward, rain runs away. A rainbow from where the wind is blowing (from the west, usually, in the Northern Hemisphere) is indicating that water vapors are closing in as they are pushed with the wind, whereas a rainbow to the direction the wind is blowing (leeward), it means that water droplets have already passed the weather observer. Related to rainbows, there is the saying of: When the sun shines while raining, it will rain the same time again tomorrow. The incident of raining while the sun is shining is called ‘sun shower’ or ‘sunshower’ and often accompanied by the formation of a rainbow. As per rainbow explanations above, rain from westerly winds is still in the cards.

Mackerel sky, not 24 hours dry, Or its variation: never long wet, never long dry. Or, another variation: Mackerel sky (or scales) and mares’ tails, make lofty (or tall) ships carry low sails (or, Make tall ships take in their sails). Mackerel or fish scale cloud formations are high, thin cirrocumulus clouds formed by shifting wind directions and high speeds and are typical of an advancing low pressure system or an approaching storm system or front. ‘Mare’s tails’ is a term used to describe those high cirrus clouds that are caused by strong winds high in the air. So it stands to reason that if you have a Mackerel sky and mares’ tails together, it is going to be wet and windy. When a halo rings the moon or sun, Rain’s approaching on the run (or, The rain will come upon the run). or, its variation: If there is a halo round the sun or moon, then we can all expect rain quite soon. or, A ring around the sun or moon, means that rain will come real soon. or Halo around the sun or moon, rain or snow soon.

A ring or halo around a bright object like the sun or the moon is caused by refraction of the light through the ice crystals of high cirrus (cirrostratus) clouds. The presence of these ice crystal clouds is often a sign that a weather front is on its way probably bringing rain and the brighter the circle, the greater the possibility. Cirrus can be the first cloud to appear ahead of a front. The U.S. Weather Service confirms that rain follows about 75 percent of sun halos and about 65 percent of moon halos. Sun sets Friday clear as bell, Rain on Monday sure as hell. Unknown explanation, and we will be obliged hearing any comments and suggestions on the origin of this expression. If clouds are gathering thick and fast, Keep sharp look out for sail and mast, But if they slowly onward crawl, Shoot your lines, nets and trawl. When the wind is blowing in the North No fisherman should set forth, When the wind is blowing in the East, ‘Tis not fit for man nor beast, When the wind is blowing in the South It brings the food over the fish’s mouth, When the wind is blowing in the West, That is when the fishing’s best!

With the approach of a low pressure front, easterly winds typically pick up, uncomfortably warm, dry, and dusty in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter. Northerly winds, which follow around a low, are cold and blustery. Sailing in conditions of northerly winds requires expertise and a sturdy vessel capable of handling heavy seas. Southerly winds typically bring warmer temperatures, and though they may not feed the fish, they do provide pleasant fishing weather. The best is to have a westerly wind blowing since it is likely to persist for some time, the weather should remain fair and clear, and the wind should be relatively constant. Beware the bolts from north or west; In south or east the bolts be best. Meaning that storms to port going North that the storm is coming your way (from the west), while storms to starboard have passed. A wind from the south has rain in its mouth. On occasion attributed to Benjamin Franklin, a wind from the south usually brings rain and precedes a cold front. When rain comes before the wind, halyards, sheets and braces mind, But when wind comes before rain, soon you may make sail again.

or similarly, With the rain before the wind, stays and topsails you must mind, But with the wind before the rain, your topsails you may set again. Winds occur when two masses of air of different pressure come into contact; for westerly prevailing winds in the Northern Hemisphere, winds before the rain indicated that the two masses of air are already in contact and thus the strong winds, with the rain following from the westerly winds. However, rain, prior to the winds, is indicative of westerly winds blowing to the east without yet reaching the weather front and creating a storm. No weather’s ill, if the wind be still. Typically, strong winds occur near weather fronts (frontal boundaries) where two masses of air of different pressures come into contact. Winds tend to be stronger near these frontal boundaries. When the wind is still, it tends to be toward the center of high pressure or the center of an air mass, and thus no ‘weather illness’. Calm conditions, especially with clear skies, indicate a high pressure area and lack of any phenomena typically associated with weather, such as clouds, wind, and precipitation.

However, calm conditions may also result from a circumstance known as ‘the calm before the storm’, when a large storm cell to the west is sucking up the surface wind in its updraft before it arrives. This situation is readily apparent by looking to the west for he approaching storm. Similarly, If clouds are gathering thick and fast, Keep sharp look out for sail and mast, But if they slowly onward crawl, Shoot your lines, nets and trawl. The sudden storm lasts not three hours The sharper the blast, the sooner ’tis past. When at weather fronts masses of air of different pressure and temperature forcefully interact, usually such forceful interaction lasts only for a few hours since a new approximate equilibrium of barometric pressures is achieved and thus mitigating the forcefulness of the ‘blast’. Clear moon, frost soon. or, similarly, Cold is the night when the stars shine bright. When there are no clouds to obscure the moon, there are no clouds to ‘blanket’ the earth’s surface and retain any heat that the earth absorbed during the day so, the surface will cool rapidly on a clear night. If the new moon holds the old moon in her lap, expect fair weather.

When the new moon can be seen along with the outline of the rest of the moon (‘the old moon’) as in a shadow, then the air must be clear and stable enough for us to see faint objects in the sky. Thus, it means that the weather is fair and is likely to stay that way for a while. The higher the clouds, the better the weather For cumulus clouds, nice little woolpacks, with high bases – around 4000 feet or more, rain is unlikely. Similarly, for mackerel appearance clouds (cirrocumulus clouds) with no mare’s tails, then again, the weather looks set fair. These clouds generally indicate both dry air and high atmospheric pressure – usually associated with fair weather. Lowering ceilings indicate rain. However, ahead of a warm front, high cirrus clouds will be spreading high across the sky, a fore-runner of rain some hours later. A piece of seaweed hung up will become damp before it rains. As seaweed naturally absorbs water, as atmospheric humidity increases before it rains, dry seaweed gets damper easier and faster, and thus the ‘science’ behind the saying. Similarly, When ropes twist, forget your haying.

Natural hemp ropes and rigging have a tendency to twist as humidity rises as they get damper with water vapors from the atmosphere, thus indicating that rain will follow soon. Similarly in terms of explanation, When the chairs squeak, it’s of rain they speak. Besides earthy inanimate objects having weather predicting powers, also animals, birds and fish have been known to have tried their luck with forecasting the weather: Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand, It’s a sign of rain when you are at hand (or, It’s never good weather when you’re on the land). or, When sea-gulls fly to land, a storm is at hand. Anecdotal evidence suggests that animals can sense miniscule changes in the environment and their actions accordingly can predict the weather. It’s not always clear how animals exactly sense or interpret changes of atmospheric pressure or impending storms, etc, and how their sensory reception can come to their survival instincts. In general, birds and animals roost/being nothalgic more during periods of low atmospheric pressure.

Before a hurricane, flocks of birds will be seen roosting; taking off may be harder when the pressure is low or the air is thinner because the natural updrafts are lessened. Sharks go out to sea at the approach of a wave of cold weather. Several studies have shown that sharks are known to move to deeper waters before hurricanes and storms, seeking better protection from strong waves and jeopardizing getting launched on land. When porpoises sport and play, there will be a storm. Porpoises are aquatic mammals similar in appearance to dolphins; porpoises are not successfully kept in captivity like dolphins. No much explanation is available why these animals, and also land animals and pets, get more playful before severe weather. Any suggestions or explanations, we will be thankful to hear. A backing wind says storms are nigh, but a veering wind will clear the sky. A backing wind is a wind that turns counter-clockwise with height, while a veering wind is a wind that turns clockwise with height. A backing wind is associated with cold air advection and dynamic sinking (CCBC or CounterClockwise, Backing, Cold air advection).

Ahead of a warm front, the wind will back from W or NW to SW, S and even SE. So, this can be a good predictor although not all backing winds will presage a warm front. As a cold front passes, winds will veer from a SW’ly point ahead of the front to NW behind. So, in this case, the wind veer (CVW or Clockwise, Veering, Warm air advection) will be as or after the front has passed. Winds back behind cold fronts. If wooly fleeces deck the heavenly way, be sure no rain will mar a summer’s day. Fleecy, wool-like white clouds are only a few hundred feet thick, indicating that they have barely developed due to condensation. As such, they are a sign the atmosphere is still relatively stable. When boat horns sound hollow, Rain will surely follow. Sound travelling far and wide, a stormy day betide. Sound travels faster in the water than in the air, and a little bit faster in humid rather than in dry air. Also, sound is absorbed to the greater extent when traveling through humid air rather than dry air.

Thus, sounds in humid days – days proceeding rain, have a hollow (echo-y) effect and travel faster. When the stars begin to huddle, the earth will soon become a puddle. As water vapors and humidity increase in the air, in advance of rainy weather, smaller stars on the sky cease to be visible, while bigger, brighter ones overwhelm the sky and shine with a blur or a corona around them (‘fogginess’), giving the impression of cluster of stars rather individual stars. When the bubbles of coffee collect in the center of the cup, expect fair weather. When they adhere to the cup, forming a ring, expect rain. If the bubbles separate without assuming any fixed position, expect changing weather. Although our own empirical evidence seems to confirm this weather saying, while sailing or ashore, we have had hard time finding a logical explanation.

But, as they say, it’s usually the small things in life that defy easy explanation; after all, it took Albert Einstein himself a whole doctoral dissertation in 1905 on the hydrodynamic derivation of a relation between the coefficients of viscosity of a liquid with and without suspended particles to mathematically explain how sugar dissolves in coffee; we regret that after his dissertation went on to publish with months of his dissertation his next seminal work on Brownian motion, and didn’t dedicate more brain power on the bubbles at a surface of a coffee cup! Probably, we will have to wait for the next genius for a mathematical formula! Red Sky in the Morning: Is It Really a Warning to Sailors? Red Sky in the Morning: Is It Really a Warning to Sailors? January 28, 2014 Clouds reflect mostly red and orange. Photo courtesy of NOAA Red sky at night, shepherds delight Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning This admonition to shepherds is the original version of the modern saying: Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. There are references to the red sky and its relationship to fair and foul weather in the Bible and Shakespeare.

But is there any truth to these sayings? Clear Sky Is Blue A cloudless sky appears blue. Until the 19th century, the reason for this was unknown. Lord Rayleigh (more properly known as John William Strutt, Third Baron Rayleigh) unravelled the mystery by calculating the effect of individual molecules on a ray of sunlight. The amount of scattering of the colors that comprise white light is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the wavelength; the shorter the wavelength, the greater the scattering. Therefore, blue light, with a shorter wavelength than the other colors, is most strongly scattered. It’s this scattered blue light that we see as the blue sky. Correspondingly, the red, yellow and green come through to our eyes and the sun appears yellowish. At sunrise and sunset, when the sun’s rays travel through a longer path of atmosphere, even the greens can be scattered out and the sun may appear orange. Scattering off Particles The full explanation of how light scatters off objects of any size is covered by Mie Theory (more properly known as the Mie solution to Maxwell’s equations). Rayleigh’s explanation of light scattering off molecules covers objects that are small relative to the wavelength of light.

The Mie solution for pollutants, particles that are large relative to the wavelength of light, predicts that the longer wavelengths (red) would be most strongly scattered in a forward direction, and this has been widely used as an explanation for the Red Sky maxim. But considering the origin of the saying, this seems unlikely to be correct. It would have been a prescient shepherd in biblical times who could imagine 21st century pollution, let alone observe it, and the saying’s first application to sailors predates the industrial revolution. Though there is natural dust in the atmosphere, it is not in sufficient amounts to cause red sunrises. Red Sky: Clouds are the Answer Except for the region very near the sun, the ‘sky’ is never really red. It is likely that ‘red sky’ refers primarily to the color of the clouds. All spectacular sunrises and sunsets are enhanced by the reflection of sunlight off the water droplets in clouds. The path of light from a sun on or just below the horizon, through the atmosphere to the cloud and then to the observer, has the longest possible path through the molecules of the atmosphere. As Lord Rayleigh discovered, the red light is least scattered by molecules — so the clouds appear red.

Moving Weather Systems Since high and low pressure systems move from west to east in the temperate zone, when one looks east and sees the sun rising in a clear sky but there is red light scattered off clouds overhead and to the west, the clear skies have passed by and clouds are on the increase. The situation when there are red clouds at sunset is the reverse: the clouds are moving away and clear skies are coming. Weather Warning: Modern Sailors Should Use a Better System Though the Bible may be a good guide for many things, and may have been useful to shepherds of the day, twenty-first century sailors are better advised to prefer advanced technology to ancient lore before venturing into the open sea. Modern forecasts, aided by computers, satellites, and sensitive measuring devices, are a better guide to the coming weather than the color of the sky. © Copyright 2014 Jon Plotkin, All rights Reserved. Written For: Decoded Science Red sky this morning - should sailors take warning? | KOMO Red sky this morning - should sailors take warning? by Scott Sistek 2 photos AA The saying is about as old as man has taken to the seas: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

Red sky at morning, sailor's take warning." Friday morning there was a brilliant red sunrise, as captured on the SkunkBayWeather.com cameras in Hansville. So, should sailors today take warning? In this case, yes. Well, sort of... The saying is based on the fact that weather generally moves west to east in the mid-latitudes. If you can see the sunset, that means it's clear to the west and there are no storms in your immediate future and sailors, along with sun fans and those who forgot to put their top up on your convertible, would be delighted. The red sky at morning is a bit more dubious. That is assuming that if the weather is clear to your east (as in, you can see the sunrise) then based on natural progression of weather, it must mean a storm is due to come in from the west, and sailors should take warning. There is something to be said that if you see those high cirrus clouds that help make a better easel for a pretty sunrise (as in the photo above) -- those clouds are a sign of an approaching front.

And sure enough, that is the case on Friday -- a cold front was approaching the area, as seen on this radar image from Friday morning: That front will take a while to get here and while it'll bring rain, it's not a particularly potent storm so I'm not sure in this case sailors need to "take warning" as much as "make sure you have your rain gear handy." Expected winds Friday afternoon and night were to remain at 15 knots or less in the inland waters. So perhaps the modern version should be "Red sky at morning, sailors turn on your weather radio or check your favorite weather app on your phone, provided you are within cell service," -- a slam dunk to catch on, I'm sure. I'll bet the government can even come up with a fancy acronym. Maybe then you can just sit back and enjoy the sunrise: One note: The lore works somewhat well in the mid-latitudes in both hemispheres where the jet stream is in charge of steering storms, but does not work that well in the tropics, where trade winds blow storms east to west at times.

close Share this: Red sky at night and other weather sayings In the days before weather forecasts, people often turned to sayings and proverbs to provide an indication of what tomorrow's weather might bring. In this article we look at some of these sayings and whether there is any science behind the saying. Dating back thousands of years, weather forecasting had to rely less on scientific data and more on human experience. From this, developed the old weather sayings and phrases we see and hear today. The sayings became particularly important in sailing and agriculture as they looked for reliable forecasts ahead. Red sky at night The concept of "Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning" first appears in the bible in the Gospel of Matthew. It is an old weather saying often used at sunrise and sunset to signify the changing sky and originally known to help the shepherds prepare for the next day's weather. Despite there being global variations in this saying such as "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors warning", the scientific understanding behind such occurrences remain the same. Why does red sky appear at sunrise and sunset?

The saying is most reliable when weather systems predominantly come from the west as they do in the UK. "Red sky at night, shepherds delight" can often be proven true, since red sky at night means fair weather is generally headed towards you. A red sky appears when dust and small particles are trapped in the atmosphere by high pressure. This scatters blue light and leaving only red light to give the sky its notable appearance. A red sky at sunset means high pressure is moving in from the west so therefore the next day will usually be dry and pleasant. "Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning" means a red sky appears due to the high pressure weather system having already moved east meaning the good weather has passed, most likely making way for a wet and windy low pressure system. St Swithun's day This 40 days and nights heavy rainfall story originates with St Swithun, the Bishop of Winchester in the Anglo-Saxon era. He initially requested to be buried outside where he said he might be subject to the feet of passers- by and to the raindrops pouring from on high. On 15 July, more than a century later, his body was moved to an indoor shrine and so began the heavy shower.

This was said to be a result of the saint's anger at being moved. The rain continued from 15 July for 40 days and nights. This led to a folklore myth that whatever the weather is like on 15 July will be how it is on the following 40 days and nights. Could it really happen? The Jet Stream does play an important part in predicting how the weather would be for the next 40 days and nights from the end of June/early July. The location of the jet stream shortly after the summer solstice largely determines the following summer's weather. If the jet stream is located southerly then it is likely to be a more unsettled summer. If the jet stream is in a northerly position then the weather is likely to be brighter and dry throughout summer. This however does not prove that heavy rainfall for St Swithun's day and the following 40 days and nights could happen. In fact, since records began there has been no occurrence of rainfall for that prolonged period of time.

'Red sky at night' - the meaning and origin of this phrase Red sky at night This is the first part of the weather-lore rhyme: Red sky at night; shepherds delight, Red sky in the morning; shepherds warning Sometimes the phrase involves sailors rather than shepherds - both have a more than usual interest in the weather. Origin The saying is very old and quite likely to have been passed on by word of mouth for some time before it was ever written down. There is a written version in Matthew XVI in the Wyclif Bible, from as early as 1395: "The eeuenynge maad, ye seien, It shal be cleer, for the heuene is lijk to reed; and the morwe, To day tempest, for heuen shyneth heuy, or sorwful." The Authorised Version gives that in a more familiar form: "When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and louring." There are many later citations of the saying in literature, including this from Shakespeare, in Venus & Adonis, 1593: "Like a red morn, that ever yet betoken'd wreck to the seaman - sorrow to shepherds." So, that's where it originated but why? There are many proverbs and stories concerning the weather from mediaeval England; for example, the notion that the weather on St. Swithin's Day (15th July) predicts the weather in England for the next 40 days: St Swithin's Day, if it does rain Full forty days, it will remain St Swithin's Day, if it be fair For forty days, t'will rain no more This prediction is nonsense and the weather on that day has no more significance than any other. When rhymes like that were established England had a primarily rural and maritime economy and weather was consequently of life and death importance.

There was no accurate means of forecasting the weather, so the tendency to make the most of what little information they had to go on, and occasionally to put two and two together and make five, is hardly surprising. The 'red sky at night' rhyme is more than an old wives' tale though and has some meteorological foundation - in England at least. To explain why we'll need to know why clouds sometimes appear red and how that may be used to predict the weather. Firstly, why do clouds often appear red in the morning and evening? - Sunlight is broken into the familiar rainbow spectrum of varying-wavelength colours as it passes through the atmosphere. - The blue/violet end of the spectrum is diverted more than the red/orange. (This is the same mechanism that causes us to see the sky as blue incidentally, but that's getting rather off our point) - When the sun is low in the sky, at dawn and dusk, sunlight travels through more atmosphere than at other times of day. The red wavelength is better able to go on a direct course and be reflected back off clouds, whereas the blue light is more scattered before reaching the cloud and is therefore less visible.

So, we see the clouds as red as the light that is reaching them is primarily red. ...and how does that help predict the weather? - The weather in the UK comes from the west, that is, the wind is primarily westerly. - The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. - If there is broken cloud in the morning we may look to the west and see red light reflecting back from the cloud, that is, 'red sky in the morning'. As the clouds are coming towards us there must be a chance of rain, at least an increased chance compared with the cloudless period we had just enjoyed. - Likewise for 'red sky at night'. If we see red clouds in the evening they will be in the east and have already passed us by, giving a good chance of clear skies and fine weather ahead.

Question: Red sky at morning, sailor take what?
Answer: Warning