Residents of Vancouver Island have been eager to spot and photograph “rainbow clouds,” or cloud iridescence, that have been floating above the region this week.
Rainbow clouds form when small water droplets or ice crystals inside of a cloud scatter the sun’s light.
It’s a phenomenon not often seen over Vancouver Island.
“Cloud iridescence is relatively rare. The cloud must be thin and have lots of water droplets or ice crystals of about the same size,” reads the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) SciJinks website.
“When that happens, the sun’s rays encounter just a few droplets at a time. For this reason, semi-transparent clouds or clouds that are just forming are the ones most likely to have iridescence.”
Photos of the rainbow clouds, or cloud iridescence, spotted over Vancouver Island over the course of this past week are can be found below:
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Here are some of the best pics of this week’s stunning rainbows on Vancouver Island
(Sandy Bowie)
(Sandy Bowie)
(Deb Rasmussen)
(Dale Ruttan)
(Tara H.)
(Tara H.)
(Paulina Pike)
(Paulina Pike)
Adam Chan
