BUFFALO, N.Y. — With so many types of clouds in the sky, some are a little more unique than others. And sometimes, clouds can even shine like a rainbow! Here's why that happens.
Over the weekend Storm Team 2 received several photos of clouds high in the sky that sparkled with different colors of the rainbow. This phenomenon is called cloud iridescence. This occurs when sunlight shines through water droplets or ice crystals that make up the cloud in such a way that light scatters and reflects the colors of the rainbow, a process also known as diffraction.
These rainbow looking clouds are quite rare and it's usually only high level clouds that can create it. That's because of the precise way light needs to shine and reflect through ice crystals that make up the cloud. So that's why it's usually those thin, small clouds at higher altitudes that only show cloud iridescence. A few examples of those are altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular and cirrus clouds.
Forecast wise, those clouds are usually most present during calm weather, like when surface high pressure is moving in or out of the region. That being said, cloud iridescence can happen year round but conditions have to be just right with the sun at the right angle and clouds in the right place.
And one might say it was the perfect weekend for cloud iridescence to pop up in Western New York with the kick off to Pride month and the annual Pride parade in downtown Buffalo.
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