Predict Weather Like a Sailor

Being able to tell the next day’s weather is a skill worth having. There are some old rules of thumb that can help you understand what the sky is likely to do in the next 24 hours. Here they are.

Look for “mare’s tails.”

Mares are female horses. If one looks to the sky and the clouds high in the atmosphere look like horse tails, or “mare’s tails,’ it is very likely that the weather will change in the next 24 hours. Either warmer or colder by 20 degrees.

Look for “sun dogs.”

Sun dogs are rainbows that one can see on either side of the sun on cold clear days. Crystals high in the atmosphere create this phenomenon and like mares tails sun dogs predict a change in weather. Sun dogs are a winter phenomenon primarily, and are considered by some to be a good omen for hunters.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

A red sky at sunset and in the twilight hours is a very good predictor of good weather. I can say I have never noticed a red sky in the evening without the next day proving nice.  My father, a naval officer taught me this when I was very young. I’ve yet to see it not hold true.

Red sky in morning, sailor, take warning.

This is the second part of the adage sited above. Likewise I have yet to see it not be an accurate predictor of the coming day’s weather. If the sunrise is very red it is likely that stormy weather is on the way soon.

In our modern day world it is easy to pull up a weather prediction on weather.com, or weatherunderground.com, but these simple bits of knowledge above have saved untold numbers of lives over the centuries, and may serve you well at some unforeseen time.