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Tonight I've seen Green and Blue lightning. What determines the color of lightning? something in the air? Thanks Patrick O. Centerville Utah
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We usually see lightning as whitish and sometimes even yellow. But once in a while you can see lightning looking pink or blue or perhaps another odd color. The color can be attributed to literally, what's in the air and how far away the storm is from you. Just like when you can see a big orange moon in the sky, light can be bent as it heads towards your eyes, this can change the color of lightning as you see it.
When there are pollutants or aerosols in the air that can alter the colors of a sunset and can also change the appearance of lightning. The wavelengths are scattered by those air particles and makes the colors we see different. High concentrations of Ozone can also attribute to the change of color and scattering of some of the light.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
