LOCALS might have thought they were still dreaming when they pulled back the curtains to find a blood red sky outside this morning.
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It's raised the question of the old adage, 'a red sky at night is a shepherd's delight, but a red sky in the morning is a shepherd's warning'.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), when the sun is low on the horizon, sunlight has to travel through more of the atmosphere to reach Earth.
When that light hits the atmosphere, it's scattered - particularly when dust, smoke and other particles are in the air.
Dust and smoke particles usually build up in the atmosphere beneath high-pressure systems, that are linked to dry and settled weather.
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In parts of the world where weather systems move routinely from the west to the east, including the southern parts of Australia, the 'red sky' proverb holds some weight, according to the BOM.
"A red sky sunrise suggests that an area of high pressure and fine weather, with its trapped dust and other particles, has moved out towards to the east," it said.
"This allows for an area of lower pressure and deteriorating weather-perhaps a cold front and band of rain-to move in from the west during the day.
"On the other hand, a red sky sunset tells us the worst of the weather has now eased, with higher pressure and improving weather approaching from the west for the following day."
There's no rain predicted for Tamworth this afternoon, with the weather expected to remain fine and sunny for most of the week.
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