In a rare spectacle witnessed in China, a massive rainbow cloud appeared in the skies over Haikou, Hainan Province, leaving onlookers awestruck by its surreal beauty. Known scientifically as a pileus or scarf cloud, this phenomenon occurs when a thunderstorm’s updraft forms a smooth cloud atop a growing cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.
The millions of tiny ice crystals or water droplets within the cloud diffract sunlight, creating the vibrant colors of the rainbow. While pileus clouds are often fleeting, residents were fortunate to witness this breathtaking display firsthand, as such occurrences are not guaranteed to produce the mesmerizing rainbow effect seen in Haikou.
