'Rare' circumhorizontal arc seen over Michigan

Bill Steffen
WOOD TV
Sun, 07 Aug 2016 13:12 UTC

This awesome pictures comes from Heather Chatfield, who was driving south on US 127 north of Jackson. This is not a rainbow, it's a very rare circumhorizontal arc. The ribbon of color is caused by sunlight hitting the ice crystals in cirrus clouds. To get a circumhorizontal arc, the sun has to be higher than 58 degrees above the horizon - so here in the mid latitudes, it's only possible in the late spring to mid-summer during the middle of the day.

Theoretically, today it's possible only from 12:30 pm to 3:10 pm (solar noon is around 1:50 pm now). In Grand Rapids, it would be possible from April 18 to August 23 - after that the sun never gets above 58 degrees at solar noon. The ice crystals have to be in the right spot, the clouds have to be the right thickness and the reflection has to be pointed at the photographer. Many people go a lifetime without seeing a circumhorizontal arc. This picture was taken at 12:53 pm.

Here's a pic. from Carrie Delong Campbell in Corunna showing a little streak of color. The clouds are at two different levels. The higher cirrus clouds are producing the circumhorizontal arc. The lower cumulus clouds are below.

This picture was taken Sunday by Laura Boggs at Kirk Park just north of Holland.

Here's a picture from Ramon Lugo. Note the strange-shaped lower-level cloud in front of the colorful arc.

This picture Sunday early afternoon is from Jenna Metivier from Detroit. You can see some color, but beautiful wisps of cirrus in this shot.

Here's a pic. (on the right) from Jess Henry. If you tilt your head you can see the slight arc in this shot. It's not exactly a straight line.

Here you can see the higher clouds on the left and the lower, puffy cloud on the right. This pic. is from Denise Wiggers-Wass who was between Marshall and Coldwater.

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'Rare' circumhorizontal arc seen over Michigan

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