'Beautiful' red rainbow brightens up stormy skies

The red rainbow was seen in the skies of Nottinghamshire

A stunning red rainbow caught the eye as it illuminated stormy skies over north Nottinghamshire.

The unusual sight was spotted over Retford on Friday night, prompting people to post pictures and video on social media.

Weather experts say the phenomenon occurs in the same way as a normal multi-coloured rainbow, but its appearance can change at sunrise and sunset.

Rachel Parsons, from Babworth, said the red rainbow was "breathtaking" because of a backdrop of lightning at the time.

"It had been absolutely chucking it down and my partner had put up a new gazebo so I stepped outside to see whether it was leaking," she said.

"I did not expect that sky. It was just so beautiful.

"I thought 'I've got to get this on video' and I started shouting excitably. He must have thought I was mad."

"Then the lightning started," she added. "I've never seen anything like it. It was just a beautiful red stripe."

Light spectrums at sunset alter the appearance of rainbows, weather experts say

Amateur East Midlands weatherman Phil Morrish said: "Red rainbows form in the same way as the usual multicolour ones, from light reflecting off the rear internal surface of water droplets in the atmosphere.

"However, during sunrise and sunset, rays from the sun travel a longer path through the lower atmosphere.

"These rays are scattered by air molecules and dust.

"Shorter-wavelength blues and greens are scattered the most, so the remaining light is richer in longer-wavelength reds and yellows.

"As the majority of the transmitted light is now in the red spectrum, this is the light seen reflected back from the water droplets, resulting in an almost exclusively red rainbow."

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