Stormy skies

Green skys before tornadoes too. Good question.

It was very green this evening, just before the thunder & lightning started. Eek!

What IS that!

It was mighty disturbing. Then the skies just opened up and it was thundering and all, and car alarms started going off. I'm so glad we had some of the roof done last year. And now it's calm, like nothing happened. Wacky.

I live in Southern California. I really miss a good summer thunderstorm, especially when you could sit on a porch in the middle of it all. Here it only rains when it's cold and you have to stay inside. It's just a constant drizzle and drone. Boring. No thunder and lightening. Depressing. None of the excitement of a good old storm in the North East. None of the color!

I missed the NE storms when I was away, too, fealola!

Yup, that happens here, too. I think it has to do with humidity, and the quality of light through a bad kind of cloud (i.e. a cloud that is about to unleash some bad stuff.) But interesting Q!

Maybe it's the humidity factor. This definitely didn't happen in New Mexico, though there were loads of t-storms there.

Looks like the "light through the clouds" theory is a leading contender.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/basics/green-thunderstorms.htm

hmmm.

No it doesn't little k, but sometimes before a rain, the air takes on a quality that lets you see detail in the distant bluffs and peaks that's almost like a telescope, without the magnification, if you know what I mean. Sorry, that's my best shot at communicating the sight. Ever notice that when you were in Santa Fe?

Now that you mention it, Roger, yeah, I think I have experienced that. Some moments were super clear. Mostly there was a lot of dust/pollen in the air. Hnh. I'll have to return one august and look at it more closely.

Thnaks for the link fishin!

Interesting link, thanks!

I've definitely seen green at times other than sunset, though; I can see how that would make it greenER, but don't think that's the main cause.

I would certainly go with a light through the clouds type of decision myself....
When photographing or even just taking a good long look at the light during either sunrise or sunset, the light takes on certain characteristic colors...reds/oranges or blues. The most specific colors are at high noon..or really 10-2 but, with harsh shadows, etc etc etc. I could go on..but, I think you get the point.
So...anyway...since the light changes color when the sun is
1. At various points in the sky
2. When illuminating through pollens, pollutants, etc
I would guess that storm light would react the same way...and probably shades differently for different cloud formations.
Whats the link say anyway? hehehe. Ill have to give it a look.

humm...
after reading that now I wonder if area has a large portion to do with the shade of green/red/blue, etc with the whole mess. Most likely, Im sure. Sort of like reflection along with refraction...know what I mean?
Interesting.
Thanks for the gray matter nudge k.

So, passage through cloud would certainly be a humidity factor, no? Clouds are largely water vapor.

well..yes.
So, my thoughts are this
...if the sunlight is passing through anything...vapor, atmosphere and its light is being changed, moved, as well as
refracted or reflected then the color would change
like through a prism
or a filter
so
there ya go
I guess

yep.

Growing up in Ohio, I was always told that green sky meant hail (I think this was probably folk knowledge, not something they taught in science class). Seems reasonable, though, since green skies are typically associated with the really nasty storms, and chunks of ice would naturally be expected to scatter light differently than water vapor or raindrops.