Fire rainbow spotted in Ohio sky explained
GALLIPOLIS, Ohio (WCMH) — People in southeastern Ohio were treated to an unusual sight overhead, many described as a 'fire rainbow' in social media posts.
Rusty Mittendorf shared a few shots with NBC4, captioning the images 'Fire in the sky over Gallipolis' on his Facebook account. The pictures showed a long streak of multicolored 'flames' licking the sky.
Investigation alleges Kroger overcharges customers on items advertised as on sale
Comments on social media to the posts ranged from humorous to wonder and amazement.
'Wow. The Nexus Ribbon!' commented one person, referencing a plot point from the movie 'Star Trek Generations.'
It made another person think of 'Back to the Future,' who wrote, 'Doc and Marty passing by in the flying DeLorean is what I see.'
'This is so cool and I'm saving it for painting inspiration, if that's ok!' someone else enthusiastically added.
Surprisingly, this atmospheric phenomenon is not a rainbow, but something known as a circumhorizontal arc.
Cities in Ohio with the most UFO sightings
Storm Team 4 chief meteorologist Dave Mazza reviewed the photos and described what created the spectacular sight.
'It's a thin layer of clouds made up of ice crystals and the sunlight is refracted through those ice crystals to create the rainbow effect,' Mazza said.
An article on the American Meteorological Society's website notes that these 'ice-halos' can be formed by sunlight or moonlight and 'are most commonly spotted in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds.'
The website Scientific Origin reveals that the so-called 'fire rainbows' are 'rare and geographically limited' because of three factors. First, the sun's angle must be at least 58 degrees above the horizon. Next, the cirrus clouds need hexagonal, plate-like ice crystals to refract the light. Last, the ice crystals should be horizontally aligned within the cirrus clouds to get the distinctive blaze shape.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Human caused' Manitoba wildfire data misused to downplay climate impact
"100 of the 111 FIRES in Manitoba right now are confirmed HUMAN CAUSED," reads the caption of a June 3, 2025 X post. "The MEDIA will make you believe otherwise, like it's climate or something." The post includes what appears to be a collection of government data showing that the majority of wildfires in Manitoba have human origins. Similar posts on Facebook, Instagram and X shared the numbers while also claiming the media and government were incorrectly citing climate change as the cause of the size of the blazes. Canadian wildfires have already forced over 31,000 people to evacuate in 2025, with smoke from the flames detected as far away as Europe. Across the country, the area burned by wildfires is nowhere near the level of Canada's record-breaking 2023 season, but is still above the decade average for this point in the year, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (archived here and here). A reference to "gas" and comments on many of the posts claiming "arson" echo allegations of intentionally started fires, which emerge during many wildfire events and are often used to promote false claims that environmentalists are burning forests to prove the existence of climate change. As of June 5, government data reports 101 of 113 fires in Manitoba are human caused (archived here), but a spokesperson for the province said this label denotes any fire started by something other than lightning. "It does not mean 'arson,' it could be a hot exhaust pipe on an ATV in long grass, or a campfire or burn pile not properly extinguished," the spokesperson said. Glenn Miller, the director of Manitoba Wildfire Service, also explained the distinction to reporters in a press conference on May 8, 2025 (archived here). "When we use the words 'human caused' it's very broad and it's not necessarily arson, but arson can be at play for sure," he said. The Manitoba division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told AFP it had made arson-related arrests after the start of two separate wildfires on May 7 (archived here). Both cases involved controlled burns -- a practice of burning away dry organic matter to eliminate potential fuel for future wildfires (archived here) -- which could not be contained due to weather, the RCMP said. Contrary to claims on social media, there were news reports on the arrests and their connection to the wildfires. Local media also reported on a house fire at Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park on May 20, detected after the evacuation of the area due to wildfire risk. An investigation into possible arson is ongoing. The RCMP did not reference any other cases of intentionally started fires in the province and AFP could not find any other reports about such cases. Laura Chasmer, an associate professor of geography and environment at the University of Lethbridge (archived here), told AFP a fire's origin is just "one part of the puzzle" when it comes to the flames' spread and the wider picture of climate change and its impacts. "If the fuel conditions are really dry because you've had really warm, dry weather, then that vegetation, that biomass, or even the organic matter on the ground, that's going to burn," she said on June 5 (archived here and here). Chasmer also explained that gusty conditions in Manitoba and other Canadian prairie provinces facilitated the spread of recent wildfires. In Canada, the past 20 years of warmer weather and recent prolonged droughts sucking up moisture, which would have previously slowed down blazes, contribute to more intense wildfire seasons, she remarked. "Fires are becoming a big problem now," she said. "It's just everywhere, every summer." Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here. June 6, 2025 Paragraph 8 was updated to reflect the most recent data on fires in Manitoba province.
Hamilton Spectator
11 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Saskatchewan lays charges in wildfires while Manitoba fires force 1,000 more to flee
Prairie wildfires developed on two fronts Friday as 1,000 more Manitoba residents were forced to flee their homes, while Saskatchewan's RCMP laid charges against alleged fire-starters. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference that two people have been charged with setting wildfires. He said one of them was charged in relation to a fire around La Ronge, which has forced 7,000 people to flee their homes. 'The RCMP have informed us that they have now charged a couple of individuals,' Moe said. RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saskatchewan has 24 active wildfires that have forced between 10,000 and 15,000 people from their homes. 'Many if not virtually all of the fires that we're dealing with in Saskatchewan, although not intentionally, are human caused. Some of those have been intentionally human caused,' Moe said. The province, along with Manitoba, is under a state of emergency, making it easier for different levels of government to co-ordinate a response. Manitoba has received help from the military to evacuate residents, mainly in remote First Nations. Moe has faced calls from the Opposition NDP to follow suit. The premier said while his government is in daily contact with federal officials, provincial emergency crews have so far been able to get evacuees out. He said the Canadian Red Cross is also working to set up shelters for evacuees in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. In Manitoba, the town of Snow Lake, near Flin Flon, issued a mandatory evacuation order for its residents due to a large wildfire threatening the area. 'You must leave because of the danger to your health and safety,' reads a notice on the town's Facebook page. That fire, which has grown to more than 3,000 square kilometres, has already forced out all 5,000 residents of the city of Flin Flon and about a thousand more in surrounding cottages and homes. When the Snow Lake evacuees are added in, Manitoba has about 19,000 out of their homes. There are 27 total fires in the province, eight of them out of control. Earlier Friday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said evacuees have found a place to stay with friends or family, in hotels or in congregate shelters. He said getting those evacuees into private accommodations is tricky because many hotel rooms are being reserved for people with 'intense' medical issues. 'We just have to do a balancing act,' Kinew said. 'At this point, the big-picture challenge around rooms has largely been addressed. 'It's now just about the daily balancing act of triaging people coming in and people who are already in shelters and matching them up with rooms.' There are shelters in Winnipeg, Thompson and Brandon. The City of Flin Flon, on social media, said that no structures have been lost in the city or in nearby Creighton, Sask. 'Winds in the area are now blowing from the south, resulting in heavy smoke and fire moving towards the south side of Flin Flon,' the city said in an update Friday. The city added that fire protection, including sprinklers, is set up and firefighters would work to protect property. Provincial fire officials said evacuations have been completed at First Nations at Pukatawagan and Cross Lake. In northern Alberta, approximately 1,300 residents of the town of Swan Hills were allowed to return to their homes Thursday, about a week after fleeing from a wildfire. But about 340 kilometres west in the County of Grande Prairie, people in the Municipal District of Opportunity were ordered out. — with files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Many major roads in Mass. town left impassable after strong storm blows through
Many major roads in a Massachusetts town were left impassable Friday morning after a powerful storm blew through, toppling trees and utility poles. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Middlesex and Worcester counties, including Ayer, around 7 a.m. Shortly after the warning was issued, police in Ayer reported that multiple trees and wires were blocking roads around town. "Multiple roads are impassable," the Ayer Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. In a subsequent post, police warned motorists that roadways into town from the east and north were blocked by downed trees and live wires, noting that Sandy Pond, Central Avenue, East Main Street at the rotary, and Groton Harvard Road were all closed. A Boston 25 News photographer captured drone video from the Ayer rotary that showed a massive cluster of trees resting across the roadway and multiple utility poles leaning over. 'Some neighborhoods will see increased cut-through traffic. Please be patient and courteous,' police advised. 'Many resources are being brought in to help make the roads safe for passage and get the electricity turned back on.' Police said a tractor-trailer trying to use Oakridge Drive as a cut-through route got hooked on wires and brought down poles. There was no immediate word on when the closed roads would reopen. There is a risk of strong storms in the region throughout the afternoon to sunset. WATCH THE FORECAST | INTERACTIVE RADAR | DOWNLOAD THE APPS Follow our Boston 25 Meteorologists on Twitter for updates: Kevin Lemanowicz | Shiri Spear | Tucker Antico | Vicki Graf Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
