Red sky, east wind and rain

In the land of Israel rain comes in the cooler half of the year, from October to April, brought by the west wind from the Mediterranean. Farmers waited for “the autumn and spring rains” (Deuteronomy 11:14): the first, in October and November, softened the ground for plowing, and the last, in March and April, filled out the grain. So “a cloud rising in the west” meant “a shower is coming” (Luke 12:54), and on Mount Carmel Elijah’s servant saw “a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea” (1 Kings 18:44).

Winds from the desert brought heat: “when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot’” (Luke 12:55). The east wind, now called the sirocco, blows hot and dry, mostly in May, September and October; it scorched grain (Genesis 41:6) and made Jonah faint (Jonah 4:8). At sea Paul’s ship was caught by “a cyclone called the Northeaster” (Acts 27:14). The color of the sky was read as in many lands: a red evening sky meant fair weather, a red and overcast morning a storm (Matthew 16:2–3) — like the English saying “red sky at night, sailor’s delight”. Some early manuscripts lack these words.