Red Sky at Night...

Matthew 16 begins with a confrontation between Jesus and some of Israel's religious leaders – a group of Pharisees and Sadducees who demand that Jesus provides another sign from heaven [to indicate he is the Messiah].

In the Bible (Matthew 16:2-3) Jesus said, “When it is evening, ye say, it will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering.”

Jesus points out they can read basic signs in the skies to predict weather but refuse to recognise obvious signs such as the many miracles He has already accomplished. He declares He will not give them any sign but that of Jonah (Jonah 1:17), who was swallowed by the whale and restored on the third day (Matthew 16:1–4).
 
Now you know!

So, the colour of the sky has harboured a great number of folklore and sayings, and these are often correct, and scientifically proven.   For example:

• "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning." The early settlers to the USA used these indicators to predict their local weather conditions.
• “Red Sky at Night, Shepherd’s Delight.  Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd’s Warning” and this is because our prevailing weather comes from the west.  Stable, high pressure systems trap dust in the air which diffuses the blue light which creates a sunset that can be vivid and red.
• Whether clear or cloudy, a rosy sky at sunset presages fine weather, and “When the sun sets bright and clear, an easterly wind you need not fear"

 

• a red sky in the morning predicts bad weather, or gusty wind and perhaps rain
• a grey sky in the morning, means fine weather
• a high dawn - wind
• a low dawn - fair weather
• a bright yellow sky at sunset presages wind
• a pale and yellow sky – wet weather

 
Similarly, ‘Rain Before Seven, Fine by Eleven’ is often correct because when there is rain, there are also strong winds and this usually means that early morning rain, will be blown away by midday.
 
Plants and wildlife can be observed to react to weather conditions too, for example:
 

• “Closed in the Morning, It’ll Be Pouring”:  Some flowers, such as dandelions and tulips, close their petals in the evening and if they do not open again by morning, rain could be on its way - the phenomena of flora closing their petals at night is called nyctinasty
• Nyctinasty is the circadian rhythmic nastic movement of some plants in response to the onset of darkness, or a plant "sleeping". Nyctinastic movements are associated with diurnal light and temperature changes and controlled by the circadian clock.
• Whilst not fully understood by scientists, there is one theory that some plants close their petals to protect pollen from becoming wet and heavy with dew. So, it follows that if there is moisture in the air during the morning, and a dandelion or tulip’s petals are closed, carrying an umbrella might be prudent!

 
There are plenty of sayings or proverbs pertaining to plants as well, such as
 
Onions:
 
Onion-skins very thin
Mild winter coming in;
Onion-skins thick and tough,
Coming winter cold and rough.
 
Grass:
 
When dew is on the grass, rain will never come to pass:  Dew forms when grass gets colder than the dew-point temperature (the temp at which dew forms). At night, grass cools when heat from the ground radiates upward. In a clear, dry atmosphere, this heat escapes the atmosphere and rises into outer space. In a moist and humid atmosphere, water vapour absorbs some of that heat and can redirect it back down to the ground, warming up the grass, and thus keeping it dew free.  Dew on the grass is therefore a sign of a high-pressure system, and good weather.
 
April showers bring May flowers: 
 
Cool, wet weather in spring helps grass prepare for strong growth later in May.
 
Trees:
 
The ash before the oak, choke, choke, choke.
The oak before the ash, splash, splash, splash:
 
This refers to which tree breaks bud first in the spring; If ash trees break bud before oak trees, this foretells a wet summer.
 
and
 
Pinecones open up when good weather is coming: 
 
Scientifically based – as during dry weather, pinecones dry out, which causes their scales to stand out and appear more "open", whereas in wet weather, the scales curl up and the cones return to a more closed shape.

​So - now you know [even more!].