Does the old saying about red skies at night or morning actually have any scientific basis?
Red sky in morning, sailor take warning – Red sky at night, sailor’s delight This is a good rule of thumb throughout much of the United States, as the weather patterns generally move from west to east across this continent. The red sky described above is the sky directly overhead, rather than the red at the horizon usually associated with sunrise/sunset. The red color is a result of the sunlight reflecting off the clouds. In order to have the red sky in the morning, the eastern horizon must be clear, and clouds will be moving in from the west – the direction from which weather, including storms, comes. A red sky at night would require a clear western horizon with clouds overhead moving east – which would indicate the stormy weather is moving away while the clear skies move in from the west.
