HEAVY RAIN WITH SUN

[ColdFront77]

I am currently experiencing something I have never experienced before. A sunshower, but with very heavy rain with thunder.

I went outside and got my hair soaked I came right in.

[ohiostorm]

Probably saw one heck of a rainbow!!

[ColdFront77]

Hi Luke, nice to see you.

I was going out to see if I could see a rainbow... got wet enough that I came right in.

[PTrackerLA]

About 2 or so years ago on Easter Sunday we had marble sized hail and the sun was shining...very strange!

[Stormsfury]

What's worse though, when the sun is out and a developing thunderstorm is overhead and unleashes an unannounced bolt which strikes a tree across the street ...

[ColdFront77]

As I was on my way outside into the sunsplashed downpour I thought I heard my father say there was indeed a rainbow... I wasn't sure he truly saw it until several minutes later, right before we ate dinner.

I believe about three hours before sunset and about three hours after sunrise is basically the beginning and ending period, respectively of seeing a rainbow.

The time three hours after sunrise and three hours before sunset, the sun is too high in the sky to see a rainbow.

What are you opinions on this?

[grentz7721]

A few months ago, While In was traveling down U.S. 17 in Myrtle Beach,
I saw a couple of thunderstroms while the sun was still shining! :o
That the first time I saw it.

[Stormsfury]

As I was on my way outside into the sunsplashed downpour I thought I heard my father say there was indeed a rainbow... I wasn't sure he truly saw it until several minutes later, right before we ate dinner.

I believe about three hours before sunset and about three hours after sunrise is basically the beginning and ending period, respectively of seeing a rainbow.

The time three hours after sunrise and three hours before sunset, the sun is too high in the sky to see a rainbow.

What are you opinions on this?

A good general rule of thumb when you look skyward, but if the sun's shining at anytime, and it's pouring rain, there's a rainbow somewhere there, even if you're not at the right angle to see it ... the sun, you, and the rainbow are aligned at a 42º angle (at the antisolar point) to see the primary rainbow, and 51º for a secondary rainbow ...

[ColdFront77]

[ColdFront77]

That's true, Mike.

There are plenty of times I have been in practically no precipitation at all to a drizzle and notice on radar that only a couple miles away the rainfall is heavier and there is a bright rainbow.

There are times that it is raining hard enough to see a rainbow and there isn't one... the only thing to think is that the sun is to high for a rainbow to be seen in the eastern (late afternoon) or western sky (mid-late morning).

[CajunMama]

My mom used to say when it was raining with the sun out, "The Devil's beating his wife". I don't know why she said it but she did.

I've also heard that when it rains with the sun out you will have rain the next day. Never followed up on it though.

[isobar]

RE: Sunshowers...I've seen that happen a number of times while living in FL. Besides beautiful rainbows, those pop-up t-storms in the afternoon also make for spectacular sunsets once they rain themselves out.

[ColdFront77]

There are sunshowers in New England enough of the time, but Florida sunshowers are more common.

There is chance of thunderstorms again today... storms have popped up in the last one to two hours.