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Nacreous or polar stratospheric clouds seen over Ireland this morning Met Éireann

Rare 'rainbow cloud' spotted over Ireland

The technical name for these rare clouds are nacreous or polar stratospheric clouds.

RARE ‘RAINBOW’ CLOUDS have been spotted across Ireland this morning.

The clouds have an iridescent or rainbow appearance and their presence is rare in Ireland.

The technical name for the eye-catching clouds are nacreous or polar stratospheric clouds.

They form high up in the stratosphere, between 15 and 25 kilometres high, over polar regions when the Sun is just below the horizon.

Nacreous clouds only form below -78 °C so are most likely to occur during the polar winter.

The ice particles that form nacreous clouds are much smaller than those that form common clouds, and it’s these smaller particles that scatter light in a different way and create the distinctive iridescent appearance.

Due to their high altitude and the curvature of the Earth’s surface, these clouds are lit up by sunlight from below the horizon and reflect it to the ground.

They are most likely to be viewed in places such as Scandinavia and northern Canada and because of this, they are often referred to as polar stratospheric clouds.

Due to the very low temperatures required, nacreous clouds are usually only visible from Ireland when the cold air which circulates around polar regions in the stratosphere is displaced and hovers temporarily over Ireland.

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    Mute Ken Mc Carthy
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:10 PM

    Quick…..
    How long before this will be attributed to climate change????….

    3…2….1…..GO

    162
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    Mute Tom Dillon
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    Dec 21st 2023, 6:06 PM

    @Ken Mc Carthy: Oh dear …

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    Mute Patrick Presley
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:34 PM

    That’s the new LGBQ Christmas message

    105
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    Mute Ken Mc Carthy
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:36 PM

    @Patrick Presley: ah cmon…..try & keep up…..its ‘lgbtq+’ nowdays

    73
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    Mute Patrick Presley
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:40 PM

    @Ken Mc Carthy: sounds like an insoluble equation

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    Mute Kevin Collins
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:46 PM

    @Patrick Presley: even the clouds are getting into woke virtue signalling. It’s a disgrace I tells ya, a disgrace. I blame the gubbernment and the MSM and Soros and carbon taxes and the COVID jab and trans and of course, immigrants…

    (cue intermittent tirades and furious waving of little Ivory Coast flags).

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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Dec 21st 2023, 5:27 PM

    @Kevin Collins: Bwahahaa hahaa haaa hahaa. You sir get my upvote of the day. Nay the week. Nay nay you is getting my Christmas Super Upvote.
    Fantastic reply you did squire

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    Mute Coc Caled
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:10 PM

    Wow.

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    Mute Eileen Kelly
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:10 PM

    These clouds are beautiful but are associated with very low temperatures so I do hope they only hover over Ireland for a very brief time.

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    Mute Pato
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    Dec 21st 2023, 2:40 PM

    At last something that’s not yellow or red.

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    Mute Éanna o Sca
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    Dec 21st 2023, 6:41 PM

    @Pato: here you are again

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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Dec 21st 2023, 3:58 PM

    Seen these before above Bray, what a sight.
    The cloud looked good too

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    Mute Ciaran
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    Dec 21st 2023, 9:37 PM

    Saw it this morning. A beautiful sight in fairness.

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    Mute Tom L
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    Dec 21st 2023, 4:58 PM

    Mother of pearl, fecking rainbow clouds

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    Mute Maria
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    Dec 21st 2023, 6:52 PM

    I too have seen these clouds above Bray Head cross, beautiful and magical.

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    Mute Martin Ryan
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    Dec 22nd 2023, 6:02 AM

    As formal aircrew they are not that uncommon somebody is short of a story
    With extreme high pressure over the Azores these clouds often get to lower
    Latitudes and often herald very wet and stormy conditions over Ireland a
    And Britain.
    Please do some research .

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    Mute Quinny
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    Dec 22nd 2023, 6:25 AM

    Leo would hate if we blamed the migrants for our problems!! I don’t blame the migrants, I blame Leo

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    Mute Ian
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    Dec 21st 2023, 10:52 PM

    The flatards are saying its the firmament ahahaha oh they are good for comedy if nothing else.

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    Mute Sean Ahearne
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    Dec 21st 2023, 6:48 PM

    No need to worry, it’s just a little bit of intrapolusin. Quite normal, no need to be scared

    3
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