There always seems to be a since of quiet after a storm, and yesterday after heavy rain and numerous flashes of lightning we got another one…A beautiful rainbow. I saw this rainbow during the Phillies game with my friend Brian, yesterday afternoon. There was a severe warning posted for Philadelphia and the surrounding areas around 5:10 that evening and the thunderstorm passed through before the game, so that it was not canceled. The forecast advised residents of of torrential downpours, penny-sized hail, and lightning strikes, but that didn’t stop the tailgaters before the game. Brian and I, drove into the storm from Moorestown which is roughly 30 minutes away from Philadelphia. The best place in our situation was to be in a car, though the visibility on the highway had diminished greatly because of the heavy rain. The rain reduced to a drizzle shortly afterward and did not completely stop until around 7:45 that evening. The sun behind our seats at Citizen’s Bank Park peaked out from the clouds and not long after that, a gorgeous rainbow appeared right in front of us and over the stadium. For a few moments, the some of the spectators took their eyes off the game and gazed at the beautiful weather phenomenon, and of course I snapped a few pictures. Though the rainbow was faint, the full arc of the rainbow could be seen over the stadium. The phenomenon remained until the sun set around 8:20 that evening, and the Phillies won against the Washington Nationals, 5 to 4!
As I study to become a meteorologist in college, and I learn more about the dynamics of how these weather events are created, the display of the atmosphere never ceases to amaze me. It is the causes and effects of the atmosphere that got me into this field. The thunderstorm which was caused by a cold front passing through the region of warmer air and this motion lead to instability of the atmosphere. As a result the thunderstorm created various effects. The phenomenon created dangerous effects such lightning and hail, but also created the pleasant effect such as that of a rainbow. It’s amusing because for the longest time it seemed that I would keep missing the chance to see a natural rainbow, but twice now in the past two months I have been able to witness this weather phenomenon. The broad range of products, which in many situations can change by a very slight adjustment, and that are displayed throughout the atmosphere, can be truly amazing. I love this field!!!!!
Below are the pictures that I took during the Phillies game. Look towards the sky, as the rainbow appears to be very faint in the pictures:
Side of the arc, from my view it appeared to be on the right side
Another view of the "right" side of the rainbow
The "left" side of the rainbow
The "left" side as the sun begin to peak out from behind the clouds
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