“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.”
This age-old expression was first uttered thousands of years ago and has probably been used thousands of times since. But is there really any truth to the saying? Let’s put it this way – there is some reason to the rhyme but it’s ultimate truth is a matter of geography and circumstance. Depending on when and where you’re standing in the world there can be more myth than truth in the red sky phenomenon.
In mid-latitude geographical locations around the world where storms often move from west to east, the “red sky” saying can be very true. The problem is that in the rest of the world storms can come from all different directions. On the east coast of the U.S. storms often come east to west off of the Atlantic Ocean. Other places in the world see storms moving from south to north or vice versa. Red skies won’t mean much in these places.
Clouds, and the direction they come from, matter because of the large role they play in the creation of a red sky. When you see a red sky, it is often because of the way the sun is reflecting on or through the clouds and atmosphere. Simply put – in the morning, when the sun rises in the east, the saying implies that a red sky appears because of the way the sun reflects off of impending storm clouds. In the evening, it assumes the opposite. The sun reflects off of departing storm clouds and clear skies are on the way.
The fact that you can see the sun setting in the west also indicates clear skies ahead for those areas of the world where their weather moves smoothly from west to east. But weather doesn’t always move so smoothly. Relying on a pretty sunset may just leave you open to “attack” from behind in some parts of the world – especially when a wind from the south and/or east comes in fast!
The “red sky” assumption that clouds create red skies and mean a storm is either on the way in or out has another problem too. Not all clouds carry storms. Some of the upper level cirrus clouds that may contribute to a reddish hue never bring a drop of rain. Clouds are sometimes just clouds and nothing more.
Those pretty clouds on pretty days seem like ideal conditions to most of us. But every day does not provide the sort of ideal conditions that make the “red sky” adage hold true. Clouds are free-floating sort of objects. Even in areas of the world that see west to east weather patterns, they really don’t stick to one side of the sky or the other. This makes it that much harder for a red sky to accurately predict the weather.
What may look like a red morning sky one moment may change in the next as the same storm-implying clouds move on through and bring a beautiful day. And when there’s a beautiful red sky we should certainly take delight in its beauty. But don’t count on it for any concrete predictions. A fast-moving storm could appear and soak you before the morning sunrise has a chance to warn you!
All in all, the world’s weather is a fickle and unpredictable thing. Anybody who’s ever rolled their eyes at the local weatherman’s best and highly educated guesses knows this only too well. So the next time you see a beautiful red morning or evening sky, enjoy it for what it’s worth and just wait and see what happens. If you’re standing in the right place in the world, conditions are right and weather is moving “smoothly” then you might just be able to count on it – but I wouldn’t take cover right away. Enjoy the beautiful sky and know that you can still hope for a beautiful day.
