Cloudy with a chance of rainbow

Billy Odell Tucker-Robinson Founder & Host — Banking With Billy Network • Intelligence Network • Data Science • AI Research • World News
Published: 2026-09-14T15:25:29.378Z • Permanent link

Photographer David Hough captured the breathtaking image of a rainbow cloud in Western Australia's Pilbara region in 2019, but it's not the first time such a phenomenon has been spotted in the country. According to Australian meteorologist Dr. Chris Borys, rainbow clouds are not uncommon in Australia but rarely photographed due to the country's vast and remote regions. Dr. Borys attributes the formation of these rare clouds to the unique combination of light diffraction and ice crystals.

Dr. Borys, a researcher at the University of Western Australia, has been studying the formation of rainbow clouds in Australia for several years. He notes that these clouds form when sunlight passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, causing the light to be diffracted and separated into its individual colors. In some cases, the ice crystals can be large enough to create a visible rainbow effect. Dr. Borys has identified several locations in Australia where these clouds are more likely to form, including the Pilbara region, the Kimberley region, and the Snowy Mountains.

The discovery of rainbow clouds in Australia has sparked interest among researchers and photographers alike. The Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology has taken notice of the phenomenon and is now working to better understand its causes and effects. The Bureau has issued a statement acknowledging the existence of rainbow clouds in Australia and expressing its commitment to studying and monitoring the weather patterns that lead to their formation.

The discovery of rainbow clouds in Australia has significant implications for the country's weather forecasting and research communities. The Bureau of Meteorology is now working to incorporate the study of rainbow clouds into its forecasting models, which could lead to more accurate predictions of weather patterns in the region.

The research community is also taking notice of the phenomenon, with several universities and research institutions already conducting studies on the formation and behavior of rainbow clouds in Australia. The Australian Government's funding agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has also announced plans to support research into the causes and effects of rainbow clouds in the country. The CSIRO notes that the study of rainbow clouds could lead to new insights into the behavior of the atmosphere and the development of more accurate weather forecasting models.

The discovery of rainbow clouds in Australia also has broader implications for the country's climate and weather patterns. Researchers are now working to understand how these clouds may be affected by climate change and how they may impact the country's weather patterns in the future. The Australian Government's climate change agency, the Climate Change Authority, has announced plans to study the effects of climate change on the formation and behavior of rainbow clouds in the country.