30 June 2023
DODGE CITY, Kan. (KSNT) – Members of the National Weather Service spotted an odd atmospheric phenomenon above Dodge City Thursday afternoon.
The NWS office in Dodge City posted a photo of a rainbow cloud appearing in the sky above on social media. The iridescent cloud appears as a patch of rainbow light hovering in the sky, but how is it formed?
A rainbow cloud occurs in specific types of clouds (altocumulus, cirrocumulus, lenticular and cirrus) and comes about due to diffraction — a phenomenon that happens when small water droplets or ice crystals scatter the sun’s light — according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The NOAA says these types of events are relatively rare as they are not seen very often. Conditions must be just right in order for them to occur: the cloud must be thin and contain lots of water droplets or ice crystals of about the same size. As sunlight hits the cloud, the sun’s rays hit just a few droplets or ice crystals at a time, leading to the appearance of rainbow colors. Due to this, semi-transparent clouds or clouds that are just forming are the most likely to appear as rainbow clouds.
To learn more about rainbow clouds, go to the NOAA’s website by clicking here.