Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
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
Two cyclones are currently threatening the South Sea islands off the coast of Australia.
Monday 6 April 2026

Solomon Islands and Fiji

Cyclones threaten South Pacific islands
Split map of Ireland showing widespread rain in blue on the left and strong winds in orange on the right, with warning icons for heavy rain and gusty conditions up to 45 mph.
Thursday 9 April 2026

Wet and windy for Ireland

Weather warnings as fresh low arrives
Wind map of the UK and Ireland showing a deep low-pressure system, Storm Dave, with red-orange zones and strong gusts up to 55 mph, plus a windsock warning icon indicating hazardous conditions.
Saturday 4 April 2026

Severe overnight gales

Storm Dave makes impact
All weather news
This might also interest you
Weather graphic showing rain and wind fields over the Canary Islands and a central warning symbol.
Friday 12 December 2025

Storm and rain

Turbulent weather in the Canary Islands
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
Split image showing strong winds over the UK on a forecast map and widespread rain and snow on a weather radar map.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Severe gales & heavy rain

Storm Chandra makes impact
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

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList