The sky is supposed to be blue, right?
Well on Tuesday, South Dakotans witnessed a green sky.
As a severe storm made its way across South Dakota the sky turned completely green.
Meteorologist Scott Mendt said the reason behind the green sky is because the “sun’s rays are being refracted by the hail (inside the storm) as the rays pass through the cloud,”
Take a look at the green sky here:
Green Sky’s all of the sudden in South Dakota USA … pic.twitter.com/BxMIolG6mZ
— ⚡️hamaryah Ban Yahawadah 𐤔𐤌𐤓𐤉𐤄 (@eddiedevonne) July 5, 2022
The skies turned green during a recent storm in South Dakota. Meteorologist Shanna Mendiola explains the phenomenon. https://t.co/YzUKTZlUS1
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) July 7, 2022
Sioux Land explained why the sky turned green:
As a storm front moved into South Dakota on Tuesday, and the night seemed to fall early as 3:00 p.m. saw dark skies cast into a deep and eerie shade of green.
What causes this foreboding shade of green? According to Earthsky.org, the sky normally appears blue due to the process of refraction. “During the day, particles in the air scatter more violet and blue light, and our eyes are more sensitive to blue.”
Meteorologist Scot Mundt said that this same process produces a green sky, with the addition of one important ingredient.
“It’s caused by the sun’s rays being refracted by the hail (inside the storm) as the rays pass through the cloud,” Mundt explained. “It’s the same concept of how a rainbow forms. The sunlight is refracted as it passes through the raindrops, resulting in a rainbow.”
Green skies in South Dakota pic.twitter.com/3yUDzDOR1z
— Olaf ☦️🇫🇮 (@IntermariumNews) July 6, 2022
A derecho, which is a powerful wind storm extending more than 240 miles, moved through South Dakota and other parts of the Plains on Tuesday. The storm brought powerful winds — up to 99 miles per hour in some areas — and even turned the skies green. https://t.co/azKI3z5KT0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 6, 2022
Euro News got the scoop too: