red sky in the morning

[cp2000]

I was up on Moosilauke this morning watching the sun come up. I rememberd the old saying "Red sky at night sailors delight. Red sky in the morning sailor take warning".

Is there any scientific reason for this and if so, what.

 

[MadRiver]

This link might help.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/weather-sailor.html

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Some say yes, some say no... I heard it when I was in the Navy, but I've also seen sheep used to predict the weather with about 80% accuracy.

Yes

no

This old weather proverb has been around awhile.
Matthew 16:3:

He answered and said unto them, "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 today: for the sky is red and
lowring."

 

[Doc McPeak]

Great link. A simple explanation that makes sense and I have witnessed. However, I believe it means that the day won't be sparkling clear, blue skies, and puffy clouds. Some of my most memorable sunrises turned into days with barely a smattering of rain, yet were overall a tad grey and gloomy. I guess it's the typical YMMV.

So, was it a nice sunrise?

 

[MichaelJ]

I've also seen sheep used to predict the weather with about 80% accuracy.

Ayup - if they're wet, it's raining.

No, seriously, as a kid, supposedly my grandparents knew if rain was coming by what the cows out in the field did, such as congregate or lie down. I don't remember the details, unfortunately.

 

[poison ivy]

My experience is exactly what Doc McPeak said -- red sky in morning means not a great, sunny day... but it doesn't always end up raining.

When I'm backpacking and wake up to a red sky, I usually try and get off the summits early... sometimes it ends up raining, sometimes it just ends up being one of those gray days instead.

- Ivy

 

[KMartman]

Ayup - if they're wet, it's raining.

No, seriously, as a kid, supposedly my grandparents knew if rain was coming by what the cows out in the field did, such as congregate or lie down. I don't remember the details, unfortunately.

I've heard the cows lying down means rain too...don't know how accurate it is, but i HAVE heard it..

M

 

[Rick]

It was explained to me (as best as I can remember) by an astronomy professor that when there is a high pressure system, there are more particles in the atmosphere that can reflect the red wavelength and under low pressure system the dust particles stay near the ground. Therefore under the west to east weather movement High pressure systems (good weather) are coming your way when you see them at night and if you see them at dawn, well a low pressure system follows a high pressure system, meaning you are about to enter worse weather.

Made sense to me, since smoke always lies low around a campfire and chokes us all when the weather is bad or turning bad (think of dust lying low) and smoke rises high and fast when there is good weather (think of dust rising into the atmosphere)

I'd be interested on thoughts on this, cuz I alsways thought it was a pretty cool explanation.

 

[WildPeaks]

There is all kinds of Lore out there. Some very true. Some not. But that is one that I would say, is a very good reason to be suspect of things to come. It's not a guarantee, (and neither are the weatherman's forecasts), but you should be leaning on the side of: "somethings up"!
The most memorable Red Sky in the Morning I can remember was a very deep pinkish/orange type red against a grey sky, on the ocean, but looked ok to us overhead. We were around 14 yrs. old and used to rake Irish Sea Moss off the rocks at low tide. (for 2.5 cents a lb.) in the White Horse Beach area. (Lot's of fun!) It was an early tide that day and the owner of the company was not letting anyone go out. Instead we started pulling boats off their moorings & putting them way up on the beach, upside down. Sure enough, it was the signs of a very bad storm that came.
I know fisherman that stay out in that stuff, (and there not just a few miles out), because it's too expensive to come back in without a full catch. But I would probably think real hard about heading out, or up, whatever if the morning sky is red!

 

[carole]

I'd say the key here is "sailors" (take warning or delight). They travel long distances on open water and the sky and direction they are heading is probably a good thing to study. We all know the mountains have their own weather systems.

 

[Umsaskis]

This is how I understand it:

If the sky is red at sunrise or sunset, then there are clouds between us and the sun; the sun's rays going at a low angle through the clouds produce the color. However, way over where the sun is, the sky is clear (otherwise the sun couldn't shine through at all for any kind of sunrise or sunset).

So if there is a red sunrise, it means that there are clouds between you and the sun; i.e., there are clouds to the west of the sun but it is clear far in the east. Because most of our weather patterns come to us from the west and southwest, a red sunrise is an indication of changing weather from clear (in the east where the sun is) to cloudy (in the west, through which the sun is shining), and that the clouds from the west are moving in.

For sunset, it's the other way. There are again clouds between us and the sun, that is, the clouds are in the east while in the west where the sun is the sky is clear. Again, because our weather moves in from the west, this is an indication that the weather is changing from cloudy to clear, with the clouds retreating to the east.