"Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning."
Ever heard the saying, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight”? Long before meteorologists reported the weather, people made forecasts based on their observations of the sky, animals, and nature. Here are some weather sayings—and what they mean.
Many of the traditional sayings they used, called proverbs, are surprisingly accurate. Try out some old-fashioned forecasting—that still works today!
Weather Sayings and Meanings
“Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.”
A reddish sunset means that the air is dusty and dry. Since weather in North American latitudes usually moves from west to east, a red sky at sunset means dry weather—good for sailing—is moving east. Conversely, a reddish sunrise means that dry air from the west has already passed over us on their way easy, clearing the way for a storm to move in.
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“The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.”
If you spot wispy, thin clouds up where jet airplanes fly, expect a spell of pleasant weather.
Keep an eye, however, on the smaller puff clouds (cumulus), especially if it’s in the morning or early afternoon. If the rounded tops of these clouds, which have flat bases, grow higher than the one cloud’s width, then there’s a chance of a thunderstorm forming.
“Clear Moon, frost soon.”
When the night sky is clear, Earth’s surface cools rapidly—there is no cloud cover to keep the heat in. If the night is clear enough to see the Moon and the temperature drops enough, frost will form. Expect a chilly morning!
“When clouds appear like towers, the Earth is refreshed by frequent showers.”
When you spy large, white clouds that look like cauliflower or castles in the sky, there is probably lots of dynamic weather going on inside. Innocent clouds look like billowy cotton, not towers. If the clouds start to swell and take on a gray tint, they’re probably turning into thunderstorms. Watch out!
“Rainbow in the morning gives you fair warning.”
A rainbow in the morning indicates that a shower is in your near future.
“Ring around the moon? Rain real soon.”
A ring around the moon usually indicates an advancing warm front, which means precipitation. Under those conditions, high, thin clouds get lower and thicker as they pass over the moon. Ice crystals are reflected by the moon’s light, causing a halo to appear.
“Rain foretold, long last. Short notice, soon will pass.”
If you find yourself toting an umbrella around for days “just in case,” rain will stick around for several hours when it finally comes. The gray overcast dominating the horizon means a large area is affected. Conversely, if you get caught in a surprise shower, it’s likely to be short-lived.
Observe the sky and see if these weather proverbs work for you. Do you know of any others? Tell us in the comments below!
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My Dad would say something about the fog lay on the mountains …. and something about when the fog rises… Does anyone know this saying? How I wish I would have wrote down all the sayings he would say.
''Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand. It's a sign of rain when you are at hand'.'
Weather prediction rhymes =
I can't remember the other half of this saying -
" worm casts high in July, " ....... what??
do worms go deep if there's to be alot of rain??
anyone know?
Hi, Katie,
Unfortunately, we aren’t aware of a weather lore saying about worm casts in July. There are others, such as “Worms descend to a great depth before either a long drought or a severe frost.” Or, “If many earthworms appear, it presages rain.”
There is one bit of folklore that says that when “common garden worms” form many casts, rain or frost will follow, depending on the season of the year. When they appear in daytime, expect rain; when in early evening, it indicates a mild night with heavy dew and two days’ fine weather.
Earthworms do tend to tunnel more deeply during a drought, likely to find a moister environment. Some scientists believe that earthworms surface during wet weather because they can travel over longer distances more easily on the surface (when it is wet) than they can by tunneling underground. Another theory is that raindrops hitting the soil surface may cause vibrations similar to those made by moles (predators of worms) digging underground. Therefore, when worms feel these vibrations, they may surface to get out of the path of the supposed moles.
On a different note, there is also a weather lore saying that if in the beginning of July ants enlarge and build up their hills, an early and cold winter will follow.
Hope this helps!
This morning I read what Jesus said in Luke 12:54-56, "When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?” Funny thing, I never paid attention to clouds rising from the west bringing rain. I guess that's why I am here. Thank you, especially the person mentioning about the ring around the moon. I heard that a long time ago, but couldn't remember the meaning. Fair weather ahead to everyone.
ring around the moon...rain is coming soon....
I was told to count the stars between the ring and the moon - the # of stars was how many days until rain.....
no stars - rain within 24 hours
MY MOTHER ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT IF MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION IT WILL
GO OUT LIKE A LAMB AND VICE-VERSA, I WOULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT SHE GOT
IT FROM HER MOTHER!
Fog climbs the hill will send water down to the mill.
If it clouds up on a frost, watch out...snow is coming!
Fog climbs the hill will send water down to the mill.
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