"Red sky at night, shepard's delight"

[dave_c]

Origins and meaning?

[Narolines]

The full phrase is "Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning: red sky at night, shepherd's delight." In other words, if the sunrise is very red it foretells a day of poor weather and warns the shepherd to be prepared for a day of discomfort with his flock, whereas if the sunset is very red, it promises fine weather the next day, so the shepherd can look forward to an easier time.  There is, of course, the alternative - "Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning: red sky at night, shepherd's house is alight....."

[gen2]

A red sky is produced when a setting sun shines up onto the underside of clouds.  For this to happen, the sky where the sun is setting must be clear.  Since in Britain, depressions bring bad weather from the west, then a red sky at sunset indicates no cloud in the west. ie no depression on the way and so fine weather is expected for the poor shepherd who has to sit out on the hillside counting sheep and staying awake.

The next part of the saying is "Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning".  In this case the clear sky is in the east and the cloud is in the west.  It is therefore likely that a depression is moving in from the west and could bring rain.

[Skids]

It orginates from the UK's Great Foot and Mouth Disease Shenanigans of the Late 20th Century.

Oh no, that's

'Red sky at night, shepard's delight,

Red sky in the morning, you're flock's on fire.'

[Ward-Minter]

Red sky at night, sheppards delight

Red sky in the morning, sheppards warning

Meat and mash in the sky, sheppards pie.

 

How funny was that???????

[dothawkes]

When I lived in Skelmersdale, the scousers used to say "Red sky at night,  Shepherds delight, Red sky in a mornin, Birkenheads on fire"