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Wild weather at Sunset looking east, did you notice the faint red color? Photograph by the Author.
The first in a series of articles on weather for
woodsmen and on weather proverbs and if they are true or false
– Author’s Note
“...Red sunrise means a wet day...”
An example of weather-lore, attributed to E. B. Dunn,
weather forecaster for the United Weather Bureau, New York City, 19021.
Centuries
of weather watching have produced countless bits of weather-lore and weather
proverbs, many of which rhyme as an aide to your memory, and these have been
passed down through the centuries and even over millennia, in some cases! Now, some of these weather proverbs are
nonsense and some even contradict themselves, but others can be of use in
forecasting the weather over the next 24 hours, when you are beyond the reach
of the TV weather forecasters. We are
lucky, in this modern age, because we have meteorological science and research
to tell us which of these proverbs are fake or true, and more importantly why
they are true.
Using
just one weather proverb to forecast the weather over the next 24 hours might
lead to a false forecast, but as the Greek poet Aratus2 wrote almost
2,300 years ago, “...make light of none of the [weather] warnings. It is a good rule to look for sign confirming
sign. When two point in the same way,
forecast with hope. When three point in
the same way, forecast with confidence”.
Red sky at
night,
Sailor’s
delight.
Red sky at
morning,
Sailors
take warning.
“Red sky at night...”, is an old, old weather proverb that was known even during
biblical times, since in the Bible, in Matthew 16:2, it says, “When evening
comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the
morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast”.
“But
is this proverb true or false”, you ask?
That’s a good question!
 |
From “How Good Is Your Weather Eye?”, by Eric Sloane; in Popular Science, October 1944, pages 141 and 216.
It
is true, but before we can tell you why it is true, we must talk a little about
atmospheric convection currents, high- and low-pressure
zones, the Coriolis effect, and prevailing winds3.
 |
From and Introduction to Oceanography, by Paul Webb, HERE.
Prevailing
winds are, according to the Oxford dictionary, “a wind from the direction
that is predominant at a particular place or season”. It is always important when you travel or
camp in the wilderness to know the prevailing wind direction, when canoeing it
can help you stay in the calm water on the sheltered, lee side of the shore or
if you put your camp on the windward shore, it can help blow the bugs away from
your camp. It is also important to remember
that prevailing winds are not constant all day long, as Alan Innes-Taylor noted
on page 53, when he wrote of prevailing winds in the Arctic Survival Guide:
“Fair weather winds usually decrease at night”.
The
prevailing surface winds are created by atmospheric convection cells, powered
by high- and low-pressure air. High
pressure air is descending air that is cold and dry and generally brings clear
skies. Low pressure air is raising warm air
that is moisture laden, saturated and generally brings precipitation. The Coriolis Effect also plays a part in
creating the prevailing winds because, in the Northern Hemisphere it deflects
the winds to the right and in the Southern Hemisphere to the left.
Prevailing
winds are named for the direction that they are blowing from, not from where
they are blowing to. And since there are
three convection cells in each hemisphere, there are six sets of prevailing
winds. So, between the poles and 60o
latitude, in both the North and South Hemispheres, the prevailing winds blow
from the east and are called the “polar easterlies”. In the belt between 60o and 30o
latitude in both hemispheres, the “westerlies” are the prevailing winds
and blow from the west. And between 30o
latitude and the equator, in the Northern Hemisphere, the prevailing winds blow
from the northeast and are called the “northeast trade winds”; while in
the Southern Hemisphere the prevailing winds blow from the southeast and are
called the “southeast trades winds”.
So, why is
it true?
 |
An excerpt from “Red Sky At Night...”, by Donald Johnson and Jean Smith, in Cruising World, July 1995.
The
weather proverb, “Red sky at night...”, was
developed in Europe and it will hold true throughout the temperate latitudes of
both the Southern and Northern Hemisphere, which includes all of Europe, Central
Asia, and North America below the arctic.
The
best explanation I have ever found for why this proverb is true, is from “Red
Sky At Night...”, by Donald Johnson and Jean Smith, in Cruising World,
July 19954. They explained
that because the prevailing winds, within the temperate latitudes between 30o
and 60o north or south latitudes, blow from west to east, by looking
at a sunset you are getting a preview of tomorrow’s weather.
If
you see a red sky at night, then that means that the setting Sun is reflecting off
the backs of clouds to the east of you and the dust in the atmosphere is
scattering all but the red light in the Sun’s rays, painting the sky red. Since the clouds are to the east of you and
the air is clear to the west of you then tomorrow should dawn fair and clear,
with no rain. However, if you see a
pale, gray sunset at night, then that means that the Sun’s rays are shining
through water droplets in the air that will reach you by tomorrow and you will
have rain!
If
you see a red sky at morning, then that means that the Sun’s rays are bouncing
off the front of approaching cirrus clouds which are to the west of you, and
all but the red light is being scattered, leaving a red sky as a warning of
oncoming bad weather!
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An excerpt from Almanac and Weather Forecaster, by Eric Sloane, page 98.
Additionally,
rainbows can help you forecast the weather just as a sunset can. If you wake up in the morning, as the sun
rises in the east, and you look west and see a rainbow, it means a storm is
approaching you from the west. However,
at night, as the sun sets in the west, if you see a rainbow to the east, it
means that the storms are moving away from you to the east.
 |
From “How Good Is Your Weather Eye?”, by Eric Sloane; in Popular Science, October 1944, pages 141.
So,
now that you know the reason why the “Red sky at night...” weather
proverb is true you will be able to answer the questions above correctly. To check yourself, see the answers below.
 |
From “How Good Is Your Weather Eye?”, by Eric Sloane; in Popular Science, October 1944, pages 216.
So
next time you see that beautiful red sky at sunset, don’t think romantic thoughts,
think high-and low-pressure systems, prevailing winds, and tomorrow’s weather
forecast!
Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Maple Syrup Making ©”,
where we will talk about sap, trees running and how to make maple syrup.
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I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1
From American Boys’ Book Of Signs, Signals and Symbols, by Dan Beard,
page 183.
2
Aratus was a Greek poet who lived circa 215 to 345 BCE.
3
Once about eight years ago, while watching the Sun setting over a lake in
Canada, I tried to explain the “Red sky at night” proverb to another
wilderness guide and I made a complete hash of it, because I didn’t fully
understand and obviously couldn't explain atmospheric convection currents, the
Coriolis effect, prevailing winds, and high- and low-pressure zones. Lesson learned!
4
The entire excerpt of “Red Sky At Night...”, by Donald Johnson and Jean Smith,
talking about why this proverb is true is below for your convenience
And
this excerpt is also very helpful.
Sources
Beard,
Dan; American Boys’ Book Of Signs, Signals and Symbols, [J.P. Lippincott
& Company, Philadelphia, PA, 1918], page 183, https://books.google.com/books?id=bDbZAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22American+Boys%E2%80%99+Book+Of+Signs,+Signals+and+Symbols%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiMj_zU7NL2AhVghHIEHaguAwUQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=%22American%20Boys%E2%80%99%20Book%20Of%20Signs%2C%20Signals%20and%20Symbols%22&f=false,
accessed March 19, 2022
Coulter, Melody; “Rhymes
and Reasons”, Cruising World, August 1981, page 66 to 67, https://books.google.com/books?id=D6-vOYPKOvcC&pg=RA1-PA3&dq=%22rhymes+and+reasons%22+cruising+world+1981&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjkwNPKucn2AhVUmHIEHR9bAZoQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=%22rhymes%20and%20reasons%22%20cruising%20world%201981&f=false,
accessed March 15, 2022
Innes-Taylor, Alan; Arctic Survival Guide,
[Scandinavian
Airline Systems, Stockholm, Sweden, 1964], page 53
Johnson,
Donald and Smith, Jean; “Red Sky At Night...”, Cruising World, July 1995,
page 31 to 35, https://books.google.com/books?id=cbA2Sw1wqGQC&pg=RA7-PA31&dq=%22red+sky+at+night%22+cruising+world+1995&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2iMn8u8n2AhUzhHIEHUVECyIQ6AF6BAgBEAI#v=onepage&q=%22red%20sky%20at%20night%22%20cruising%20world%201995&f=false,
accessed March 15, 2022
Sloane,
Eric; Almanac and Weather Forecaster, [Hawthorne Books, Inc., New York,
1955], page 98.
Sloane, Eric; “How Good
Is Your Weather Eye?”, Popular Science, October 1944, pages 141 and 216,
https://books.google.com/books?id=PyEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA137&dq=%22how+good+is+your+weather+eye%22+popular+science+october+1944&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDwPfNtsn2AhX8k4kEHTMoAr8Q6AF6BAgCEAI#v=onepage&q=%22how%20good%20is%20your%20weather%20eye%22%20popular%20science%20october%201944&f=false,
accessed March 15, 2022
Webb, Paul; Introduction
to Oceanography, [Powered by Pressbooks], page 8.2, https://rwu.pressbooks.pub/webboceanography/chapter/8-2-winds-and-the-coriolis-effect/,
accessed March 17, 2022
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