Derecho Turns South Dakota Skies Into Green as Shown in Photos; Can You Predict Cyclones by Colors?

Residents in the area of Sioux Falls saw a stunningly unusual occurrence on Tuesday before severe storms rolled across South Dakota - a green sky.

A derecho hit a large portion of South Dakota on Tuesday, as well as Minnesota and Iowa, according to the National Weather Service, and thousands of people were left without power for hours following the "destructive," protracted wind storm.

The scope of the storm's destruction was unknown as of Tuesday night since warnings and the storm's path extended as far as Wisconsin, according to the meteorological service.

A derecho-a violent windstorm with a radius of more than 240 miles, according to the National Weather Service-moved over South Dakota and other Plains regions, bringing with it gusts that might reach 99 miles per hour in some places.

(Photo : Pixabay/Hans)
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South Dakota's Skies Turn Green Before Hail

However, a peculiar meteorological occurrence occurred before the derecho (pronounced deh-REY-cho) reached Sioux Falls, South Dakota: the skies turned green. Images of the blue sky that were also recorded by traffic cameras operated by the South Dakota Department of Transportation were widely shared on social media.

"I think it caught a lot of people's attention because the sky did have that very unique green color to it," Peter Rogers, a meteorologist with the Weather Service's office in Sioux Falls, told The New York Times. "Because of the unique color that it did exhibit, I'm guessing that it will probably be a topic of discussion for quite a long time."

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According to Rogers, unusual hues might occasionally appear before or during a storm depending on how sunlight interacts and scatters among various particles in the environment. During a storm, it is not unusual for the sky to become purple or even go fully black during the day.

The green sky before or during a thunderstorm might be a sign of severe hail, The New York Times mentioned. Although the hue of the sky might sometimes be a sign of impending severe weather, Rogers noted that this isn't always the case.

High Hail Content

In reaction to the "amazing" and unique hue of the sky, NWS meteorologist Cory Martin published a tweet with an infographic describing how the blue water droplets in the storm clouds mixed with the sun's crimson rays to form the dramatic sight.

Most thunderstorms, according to Martin's infographic, happen later in the day, when the sun slowly sinks toward the horizon and the sky turns a mellow shade of red.

The storm cloud particles with substantial depth and water content will scatter the blue light preferentially.

When the reddish light from the sky reflects against the blue water or ice droplets within the cloud, they will appear to glow green.

This hue often indicates the presence of big volumes of ice or massive hail since it requires a significant quantity of water content inside the cloud to generate.

According to Newsweek, the said occurrence frequently acts as a visual indication of a thunderstorm's propensity to deliver exceptionally huge hail.

Scientific American said the reason why green skies appear is not well known. However, other experts claim that if a thunderstorm happens during a period of red light, such as a sunset, water droplets in the air may cause the sky to seem somewhat green.

The ideal storm for a green sky may be created by the gray cloud of a thunderstorm, water particles that cause the red light to bend and seem blue, and an abundance of red light in the sky.

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