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I have heard of the "green flash phenomenon" that happens if conditions are right when looking at the the sunrise across a very flat horizon. Could something like that have happened Monday night? I live in Woods Cross and the storm had just gone mostly to the east; there were some breaking clouds in the west and some light was shining through. I noticed it for just a short time looking east possibly 1 minute, (however my co-worker lives on the Bountiful bench and said it lasted about 10-15 minutes) Everything looked green!! Can the light rays be bend just right to just get a green wavelength for an extended period of time like the "green flash phenomenon" except lasting longer? The only other thing that comes to mind is pollution in the air but I doubt that after the rain storm. It was amazing to see!! Thanks, I always check your web sight. Ann
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Seeing funky colors in the sky is pretty fun but sometimes a little bit scary, especially if you see something that's totally unfamiliar. The green flash you speak of isn't rare but observing it is. It's one of the neatest phenomena and most people will never see the green flash, as much as I personally have looked for the flash it has continued to elude me.
Green flashes are a flash of green you see when the sun is setting. This is caused from the bending of light or refraction near the horizon. Green flashes can also be blue! The green flash occurs at the top of the sun from shorter wavelengths being bent. Sometimes it is easier to see the flash when the sun is setting over water.
Clearly if it lasted for 10 minutes like you are claiming, that wasn't a green flash. It could have been one of two other things. Yes when there is enough "gunk" in the air, the sky can look green or some other odd color, that's definitely a possibility, so you could have been witnessing some air pollution particles or some smoke.
The other green sky people claim to see is during severe weather. Large thunderstorms containing ice can sometimes have a greenish hue to them. That could have been a thunderstorm moving away making the clouds around it look slightly green.
It's tough to say whether it was air pollution or a retreating storm, if you see it again, be sure to note exactly what kind of weather was happening.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
