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It was just about dawn as we drove to the pool this morning, and a very pretty one: the steeple of St. Nick's silhouetted black against wisps of pale pink gauze against a pale blue sky.
Half awake, I thought, not for the first time, that sunrise and sunset are all about the clouds; it's not the clear skies that give the spectacular displays of light and colours, but the (not too) cloudy ones.
Take that a step further, and it's obvious that when we talk about red sky at night or at morning as a sign of the weather to come, we're talking about the presence of cloud. I've known the rhyme for as long as I can remember, and never thought to ask why shepherds should be delighted by a red sky at night, or alarmed by a red sky in the morning. But a cloudy night is not as cold as a clear one, and a cloudy day not as warm as a sunny one. Is it as simple as that?
No, says phrases.org, there's also the direction in which the sky is cloudy. In the UK, where the wind is primarily westerly, so the weather comes from the west:
Here's an alternative explanation from the Met Office, who think that red skies are an indication of rain on the way, in which case you'd be glad to get it over with overnight (when all the sheep are safely home in bed, presumably).
In other words, the broad principle is sound, but we're a little hazy about the details.
Half awake, I thought, not for the first time, that sunrise and sunset are all about the clouds; it's not the clear skies that give the spectacular displays of light and colours, but the (not too) cloudy ones.
Take that a step further, and it's obvious that when we talk about red sky at night or at morning as a sign of the weather to come, we're talking about the presence of cloud. I've known the rhyme for as long as I can remember, and never thought to ask why shepherds should be delighted by a red sky at night, or alarmed by a red sky in the morning. But a cloudy night is not as cold as a clear one, and a cloudy day not as warm as a sunny one. Is it as simple as that?
No, says phrases.org, there's also the direction in which the sky is cloudy. In the UK, where the wind is primarily westerly, so the weather comes from 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, i.e. '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.This is very ingenious, and makes sense within British weather systems. But the same web page points out that there is an equivalent piece of weather lore in the Bible, so an explanation which relies on our prevailing winds won't do.
- 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.
Here's an alternative explanation from the Met Office, who think that red skies are an indication of rain on the way, in which case you'd be glad to get it over with overnight (when all the sheep are safely home in bed, presumably).
In other words, the broad principle is sound, but we're a little hazy about the details.
