Red Sky at Night – is the saying accurate?

Red sky at night in Auckland

Red sky at night, shepherd's delight

Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning

As we all know there is quite a lot of truth to this little saying I grew up knowing.  This saying goes at least back to Biblical times.

A red sky at sunset means that high pressure is moving in from the West and so the next day is likely to be fine (according to the UK's Met Office)

Weather – types of cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons

Differences between hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons

Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons

New Zealand is subject occasionally to cyclones which come down from the tropics. Cyclone Bola was the most destructive one in recent history – 1988.

The only difference between a cyclone and a hurricane is the direction in which it rotates. Hurricanes rotate counter clockwise and happen in the Northern Hemisphere. Hurricanes and cyclones build strength over the sea but weaken once they strike land because their supply of moist air is cut off and the friction between the storm and the earth slows the system.

For a post about clouds, click here 

Weather Quotation

“The rain to the wind said, 

You push and I'll pelt.' 

They so smote the garden bed 

That the flowers actually knelt, 

And lay lodged--though not dead. 

I know how the flowers felt.”

                    - Robert Frost