Weather lore truth: Red sky at morning, shepherds warning

'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!