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 /

    Weather lore truth: Red sky at morning, shepherds warning

13:00
5 October 2022

Weather lore truth
Red sky at morning, shepherds warning

Red sky at sunrise in Pembrokeshire, Wales
Red sky at sunrise in Pembrokeshire, Wales - © Sue Busby

'Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning' is a well-known folklore, but how much truth, if any, does it hold?

Weather & Radar user Sue Busby sent us in this fiery sky at sunrise in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire on October 1st.

The old folklore was often a way of prediction for shepherds to manage their crops, and sailors to navigate the seas, with a red sky in the morning indicating bad weather was on the way.

The sky turns red when dust and other small particles are trapped in the atmosphere by high pressure, as the blue light is scattered, leaving only red light to give the sky its vibrant colour.

In the British Isles, weather systems often move west to east. So, when a red sky occurs at night, it is due to high pressure coming in from the west.

However, if it is red at sunrise, it is often an indication that the high pressure has passed to the east and particles from clouds are moving in from the west instead.

Low pressure has indeed swept in from the Atlantic in recent days, making way for wet and windy weather across the entirety of the British Isles. Have you ever seen a red sky at night, or in the morning? Send us in your snaps here!

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Fourth heatwave of the year. Peaking Wednesday. . . Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Temperature map of England and Wales on Wednesday 29.07 showing widespread hot conditions, with temperatures reaching 33°C near Cambridge, 32°C around London, Norwich, and Southend-on-Sea, and a large heat warning symbol highlighting elevated heat risk.
Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Peaking Wednesday

Fourth heatwave of the year
Catastrophic forest fires in Europe. Thousands evacuated. . . Monday, 27 July 2026
A composite image showing a temperature map of south-western Europe and a drone shot of a forest fire near Cap Ferret. A warning symbol featuring a flame indicates the increased risk of forest fires.
Monday, 27 July 2026

Thousands evacuated

Catastrophic forest fires in Europe
Half of England now in drought. Joining North Wales. . . Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Dry section of the River Thames beneath a small stone bridge, with the riverbed exposed and cracked after prolonged, dry weather, while a person walks along the roadside above.
Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Joining North Wales

Half of England now in drought
All weather news
This might also interest you
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . . Wednesday, 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
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