Britain: An extremely rare flat rainbow was spotted in the aftermath of the strong and dangerous Storm Francis in Devon.
According to reports, the rare flat rainbow was spotted over the sea in the borough of Torbay, Paignton Beach on Tuesday.
It happened after Britain experienced strong rains and winds brought in by Storm Francis.
The images of the rare flat rainbow were shared on a page on Facebook.
It is thought that this flat rainbow is caused by the sun’s rays glinting through the spray that is whipped up by the sea as the strong winds pass by.
The effect that was seen here is similar to the way where normal rainbows form. The light from the sun passes through the droplets of water in the air, refracting the light into the majestic colors that we can see.
Met Office Officials released a statement about the rare event, where they said:
This looks like spray being blown up from the sea by the strong gusty winds due to Storm Francis. The same principles as in a usual rainbow are then in play, so the light is being reflected, refracted and dispersed by the water droplets giving the different colours. However, because it’s water blown up from the sea, it’s flatter and not curved, as it would be if it was caused by water droplets or rain in the sky.
In simpler words, the rare rainbow is formed as a result of the sun shining through spray whipped off the surface of the see by strong wind speeds.