Posted on 05/21/2013 6:33:16 PM PDT by Carbonsteel
When you screen the clouds turn a sickly glowing greenish tint, you know a tornado is somewhere near.
I’ve had someone attempt to explain this to me before, just why those vile green clouds. Had something to do with a combination of factors leading to the clouds “reflecting” vegetation on the ground. If that’s true, west Texas tornadoes wouldn’t have that association or at least not so pronounced. I’ve seen it several times before, it’s a very real thing. The whys and hows are a little more vague.
Actually, I'm pretty sure it has to do with mixing of predominantly blue light penetrating the thundercloud and red light from the periphery as the sun is getting lower on the horizon. This creates a green shade. However, if you ever see the green color during a midday thunderstorm, this is NOT the correct explanation.
I would have to just stand there and look at the beast in awe. As crazy as that sounds. How many times do you get to see nature in action like that? I mean, just WOW! If I was shooting something like that, I would have two cameras on a single mount. One for a constant wide field shot and the other to zoom. You would’t want to miss THAT show.
It would be pretty scary if the only way you could get out of the parking lot is to go TOWARD the tornado.
I don’t know either but ever time I’ve seen the sky turn green it was right before a really bad storm.. and my mama yelling “get in this house!”
Here in Washington State I’ll probably never get to see the green pre-game show but that’s OK!
I witnessed those vile green clouds years ago in the SoCal desert out in yucca valley. Not too long after those clouds the worst lightning of my life occurred.
Springtime storms can happen any time of the day or night, in the southeast at least. Late afternoon storms are more of a summer thing. Spring is tornado season as far as frequency even if they can and do happen year round. I’ve seen it in midday before, so that explanation doesn’t cover it fully.
Well, that rules out clouds somehow reflecting vegetation on the ground, doesn’t it? Yucca Valley is a long way from verdant.
Los...I would say so.
I’ve never seen it other than before/during bad weather, one way or the other. Here’s an interesting Scientific American article discussing the phenomenon:
“Actually it’s an atmospheric phenomenon.”
As a Bible believing Christian - I agree.
“for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
I forget all of the Latin(?) terms my preacher used - but the bad things that happen due to natural events was one term. The bad things human cause on ourselves and others is another term, Satan can do evil things, and God CAN do things (floods, droughts, use nations e.g. Babylon to invade) as judgements or corrective punishments.
The ancient Jews had a pretty black and white view of why bad things happen - it was God. Not entirely correct IMHO.
How we act in response to such bad things that happen to us and to others CAN be due to God if we let Him.
Interesting article. Thanks for sharing. Having grown up in Marin Co. In the bay area, any lightning storm was a rare occurance. Then a trip to yucca valley and witnessing that green sky, shortly to be followed by the worst lighting storm I had ever experienced, well, needless to say I’m not a great fan of lightning storms. I remember seeing six bolts of lightning hit at once off in the distance that night. The storm lasted for hours.
Sweet, merciful Jesus.
That is beautiful, frightening and awesome!
At that moment an E4 tornado dropped from the cloud and took out Olney MD and another 14 miles of low density suburb and farmland.
THAT QUICK.
This was before the days of cellphone cameras everywhere, but Channel 8, a DC local all news TV station, had been across Shirley Highway at Springfield Mall and they got all of it.
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