Sky Reading

SKY READING

Weatherwise is the sea wo/man’s ability to read the sky and refers to lore of clouds and sky colour bequeathed by past generations of seaman and country folk and it is an art to read them

SKY COLOUR

Red Sky at Night, sailor’s delight;

Red sky in the morning, Sailor’s warning.

CLOUDS

HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS

Noctilucent

Shine after dark on clear nights are the highest clouds found at around 50miles above earth and consist of ice-coated particles from outer space.

Cirrus (High level) clouds are the most common type of cloud then and whips meaning ground-level wind will soon strengthen.

Cirrocumulus

‘mackerel sky’ clouds consist entirely of ice crystals and appear as white patches or spherical masses arranged in regular patterns like ripples of sand in the sky.  But with air movement the clouds can look to be like markings on a mackerel.

MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS

Altostratus

These clouds are associated with cold fronts often forming at night when temperatures are low. Appearing as rolls arranged in lines or waves.

LOW LEVEL CLOUDS

Cumulus

Fleecy and seperate from each other it allows the sun to shine directly on the clouds, so they appear very white with clearly defined edges.

Stratus

Most common near mountains and coasts and if at ground level it appears as fog which clears by way of evaporation of its lowest layer, and remaining fog becomes stratus cloud. Often forming overnight in fine weather especially over water.

Cumulonimbus

These deep and large clouds have a menacing appearance produce thunder storms, hailstorms and tornados and torrential snow or rain. Illuminated from within by Lightning sparking.

Stratocumulus

Rolls or rounded masses of darker clouds giving a textured appearance. Converging rays of light  are created at dawn and suck with sunlight shining through any gaps illuminating dust particles.

MOON

Haleos

Moon Glade