Flat rainbow appears above waters during storm | Inquirer Technology

Flat rainbow appears above waters during storm

/ 05:52 PM September 01, 2020

A rare flat rainbow occurred above the waters in Tor Bay, United Kingdom during a storm that battered the area last week.

A bystander managed to photograph the natural phenomenon from the seaside town of Paignton. The image was posted to a Facebook page called “Torbay in pictures” on Aug. 26.

https://www.facebook.com/torbayinpictures/photos/a.3285101051507208/3923779504306023/

Article continues after this advertisement

The bay was experiencing bright sunshine, high winds and heavy rainfall at the same time due to the storm, Devon Live reported on Aug. 25.

FEATURED STORIES

The Met Office, the U.K.’s national weather service, later explained how the rainbow appeared.

“This looks like spray, being blown up from the sea by the strong gusty winds due to Storm Francis,” the organization said.

Article continues after this advertisement

“The same principles as in a usual rainbow are then in play, so the light is being reflected, refracted and dispersed by the water droplets giving the different [colors],” it added. “However, because it’s water blown up from the sea it’s flatter and not curved as when caused by water droplets/rain in the sky.”

Article continues after this advertisement

The government office also described it as a “rainbow mist lying flat on the sea” which had one color on top of the other.

Article continues after this advertisement

Meanwhile, one resident pointed out that the storm had caused rain without clouds and produced strong winds.

Though the phenomenon is rare, the report noted that similar rainbows appeared in Bristol in March 2017 and in Paris, France in 2013 after storms. However, the rainbows in both instances were slightly curved and not entirely flat like the recent one in Tor Bay. Ryan Arcadio/JB

Article continues after this advertisement

RELATED STORIES: 

Asteroid nearing Earth this November ‘poses no threat,’ says NASA

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Critically endangered gorilla gives birth nearly one year after losing first child

TOPICS: Met Office, natural phenomenon, rainbow, storms, United Kingdom
TAGS: Met Office, natural phenomenon, rainbow, storms, United Kingdom

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.