Why sky turned green during a thunderstorm in South Dakota?

The sky in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, turned green on Tuesday as a powerful storm blew through. Parts of South Dakota and Iowa, as well as Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois, faced a right Tuesday. It even turned the skies green in some areas.

Green sky South Dakota

Photos shared on social media documented the eerie phenomenon, with cloud-darkened skies whipping up an almost photosynthetic hue.

The approach. @NWSSiouxFalls @keloland @dakotanews_now pic.twitter.com/NOl35jIlpt

— jaden 🥞 🍦 (@jkarmill) July 5, 2022

The Weather Service received dozens of reports of damage from South Dakota to Illinois due to the violent array of storms. The winds downed power lines and trees, some fell on homes and vehicles. Tens of thousands of utility customers were left without power.

Before the entitlement, thousands witnessed the skies turn an ominous neon green hue, the skies appearing almost phosphorescent. While green skies are sometimes byproducts of thunderstorms, few meteorologists recall seeing skies that reflect that peculiar hue.

These types of storms can be indicative of hail, added the meteorologist, which hit the Sioux Falls area on Tuesday.

The NWS declared the storm a right, which is a large, continuing event with wind speeds in excess of 58 miles per hour (93 km/h).

The NWS reported that some areas saw one-inch hail with wind speeds up to 90 mph (159 km/h). Sioux Falls was hit with more than an inch of rain.

More than 30,000 people lost power Tuesday night in the Sioux Falls area, the Argus Leader reports. That had dropped to around 5,000 by Wednesday morning.

The impact of the climate crisis on rights remains unclear. However, some scientists believe there is a possible connection between intensifying rights and higher temperatures caused by the climate crisis, the Washington Post recently reported.

Why is sky green in bad weather?

Why green skies occur is not fully understood, reports Scientific American. But if a thunderstorm occurs during a time of red light, such as a sunset, water particles in the air can make the sky appear slightly green, some researchers say. The gray cloud of a thunderstorm, the water particles that deflect red light to appear blue, and the abundance of red light in the sky can create the perfect storm for a green sky.

Keep Reading

Part 1: Cloudburst  in Ganderbal's Padabal village & unfulfilled promises