Rainbows to start a soggy Thursday morning

As rain moved in on our Thursday morning, May 9, there was just enough sun peaking through to the east to create some amazing rainbows!

This great picture (above) from Annie in West Bend also caused her to ask, "how can we have a rainbow without rain?" as it wasn't raining yet in that area. It is a common misconception that you need rain to form a rainbow. In fact, rainbows only need water vapor or ice crystals to form. The drops or crystals refract the sunlight to show the full spectrum of colors.

Another great example (above) of this morning's rainbows from Sara F. in Jackson.

Fun fact, a rainbow is actually a full circle, but we cannot see that from the ground. You can see the full circle if you see a rainbow from a plane!

Melinda got a great picture (above) of the double rainbow effect! A double rainbow, or "secondary rainbow", appears when light is reflected twice in a raindrop.

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