“Yes, you can storm chase in Washington state :)”
That’s what photographer Michael Snyder tweeted as he shared this epic shot of hail falling over parts of Seattle, with a bonus rainbow in the background!
Wednesday was a stormy day in the Pacific Northwest, characterized by spotty showers and thunderstorms that were capable of producing quick downpours and, yes, even small hail!
I know, most people associate Seattle with rain, but it is the time of year when it’s not unusual to see thunderstorms in the area. When enough sun sneaks through and warms up the layer of air near the ground, the heat rises and interacts with the cold air at higher altitudes, you have an unstable situation primed for thunderstorms.
These circumstances are most common in the presence of upper-level, low-pressure centers in the region. “With the arrival of spring, we often see an increase in ‘closed lows’ in the western U.S.,” the National Weather Service said.
These big Pacific upper low-pressure centers sit and spin over the area, keeping the region unsettled and stormy often for days. In fact, these cold upper lows are notorious for producing small hail, thanks to their cold pocket of air aloft conducive to hail production.
The result? Beauty (the rainbow) and the beast (the hail shaft) captured simultaneously, in the same moment. And it is this juxtaposition that makes this photo so special.
As we know hail is ice composed of frozen water droplets, whereas rainbows need liquid rain drops to form their beautiful array of colors. So if you look closely, the hail streak and rainbow are showing the exact zone of transition between frozen precipitation and liquid precipitation — in other words, where the hail is falling vs. harmless rain.
One more element of beauty to this photo: the sunlit hail streak. To see the rainbow, we know the sun is behind the photographer. This same sun angle is spotlighting the hail shaft making it appear extra bright as it unloads over the landscape below.
Here’s another look, a little more zoomed out, of the storm looming over the Emerald City.
Weather is awesome. #cwgpicoftheweek