LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — We are well into severe weather season here in the south, and with that comes the risk of tornadoes.
It has been long thought that when the sky turns green during stormy weather that a tornado is likely to occur, but that isn't always the case.
Developing thunderstorm clouds tend to be tall. Normally the storm clouds produce more of a blueish hue to them.
The combination of a storm clouds thickness and the diameter of the water droplets in them can make the clouds look green if the setup is just right.
Thunderstorms usually occur and are the strongest later in the day when the sun is setting. Water droplets can reflect blue light easily. Most often during a sunset, we see yellow to reddish colors due to the particles scattering the rays when the sun sits low in the horizon.
Sometimes the combination of those sunset colors and the blue hue from the storm clouds can cast a greenish hue at the base of the cloud.
It's important to note, not every storm cloud turns green, and not every storm cloud needs to be green to indicate a possible tornado. It’s a phenomenon that is uncommon even in areas prone to severe weather.
Often the rotating thunderstorms, or supercells, that are known for producing the tornadoes will likely just produce large hail and damaging winds.