‘Fire rainbow’ lights up local skies

It looks like a cloud on fire, splintered into a palette of warm colours across the horizon.

The optical phenomenon isn’t uncommon in Canada, but it only occurs once certain specifics are met, Weather Network meteorologist Patrick Cool explained.

The sun has to be in the right position — at least 58 degrees above the horizon — and the right cloud, a wispy and high up cirrus formation, must also be in place.

If the cloud is made up of the proper kind of ice crystals and the sun is aligned correctly, the crystals will act as a prism for the sun, producing a spectrum of colours that can last for hours.

In Canada, the sun is only in the right spot for about two months of the year, but the further south you get; the more likely you are to see these kind of formations.

In the winter and for areas north of the 55th parallel, the sun never gets high enough on the horizon for this to occur.