Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
Home / Editor's Pick /

Red sky at night, shepherd's delight?

20:00
22 April 2023

Is it true?
Red sky at night, shepherd's delight?

Red sky

"Red sky at night shepherd's delight; red sky in the morning shepherd's warning”, is there truth behind the popular phrase?

The colours we see at sunrise/sunset are because of sunlight being scattered as it passes through the atmosphere and ricocheted off water vapour, aerosols, and dust particles in the atmosphere.

It is the amount of water vapour and particles in the atmosphere which give the indication of upcoming weather conditions based on the colours we see.

In the mid-latitudes, weather moves from west to east. So, when a storm exits, stable weather arrives from the west. The sun, which sets in the west, then illuminates the departing clouds with hues of orange, yellow, and red.

This is what makes the first half of the saying make sense scientifically: "red skies at night, shepherd's delight."

However, should you see a red sky in the morning, the sun, which rises in the east, is illuminating the clouds of an incoming weather system and rain from the west. This is why the phrase ends with "red skies in the morning, shepherd's warning".

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Heavy snowfall has been bringing public life in Moscow to a standstill since Sunday evening.
Tuesday, 28 April 2026

Wind gusts, snow branches

Late April snow brings Moscow to a standstill
Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Capture the scene with us

Your moment, your location, your weather
Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Unevenly spread rainfall

Two weather worlds in Europe
All weather news
This might also interest you
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday, 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
Outline of Santa Claus with a yellow and white hat, "Ho-Ho-Ho" next to the outline above a Christmas tree.
Thursday, 25 December 2025

Merry Christmas!

Wishes from Weather & Radar
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday, 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList