Why Does The Sky Turn Green Before Tornadoes?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- In some parts of the United States, it's said that a green sky means there's a tornado on the way. But while you should probably go inside, things might not necessarily get so bad"
Hosted by: Michael Aranda
Head to scishowfinds.com/ for hand selected artifacts of the universe!
----------
Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: / scishow
----------
Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters: Jerry Perez, Lazarus G, Sam Lutfi, Kevin Knupp, Nicholas Smith, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali. Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook: / scishow
Twitter: / scishow
Tumblr: / scishow
Instagram: / thescishow
----------
Sources:
shareok.org/bitstream/handle/... [PDF]
news.wisc.edu/curiosities-why...
www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics...
www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/colo...
www.livescience.com/39069-why...
www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/water_vi...
journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full...
s.campbellsci.com/documents/c...
Nebraskan here. We know green skies aren't necessarily a tornado, but they're more like getting a tornado warning for the area, especially with hail involved. It's a strong sign, and just scary as hell when the entire sky turns a dark, yet vibrant, unnatural-feeling green.
Ironically, for us, a tornado warning means it's good weather to watch. It's exciting, like a movie!
Seriously, we're so used to extreme storms that torrential rains and extreme gusts of wind just mean we should grab our drink of choice, maybe even supper, and go out on the porch and hang out for awhile!
We're also not stupid, we definitely know when to go to the basement/cellar/shelter, but we like to have fun.
Central Texas here. We know exactly what you're talking about.
Yeah, it is some of my favorite weather, too, tho we gotta remind ourselves that danger is real. As I'm admiring the weather, I'm calling my animals inside...
Fellow Nebraskan here. I do love a good storm. That's what porches are for.
Oklahoma here. "Hold my beer."
Omaha, May 6th,1975, from my view near 89th street (Laurie Circle), I could smell something akin to lake water, and the sky did look green for a time, just before the funnel arrived. But it wasn't some cutesy green. It was deep, dark green like pea soup. It made me believe that the tornado had vacuumed up a river or something.
My cousin was visiting from Kansas and kept looking up and commenting, "Looks like tornado's a coming. Sky's awful green."
"Billy," I said. "Those are trees."
Massive laughs! There are winners and there are mega-winners, and then there is being able to pull off an intra-tornado-region gag like that. Congratulations, one of your very best!
Having lived in both wooded and open terrains, I think it's more ominous in the open because that creepy glow extends so far for so long before it hits; but it's more dangerous in the forests where it can sneak up on you and has lots and lots of big pointy stuff to throw around. I've been within shooting distance of tornadoes 3 times, but I don't care for what it has to shoot back with... like whole tree limbs and crumpled barns.
I feel pretty lucky to live in a place with non-extreme climate. The worst we get is like snowstorms in June, and that's pretty rare and it mostly happens in the northern parts of the country.
Master Therion loled at this
You win this comment section
Justin
Eating an apple is both good and evil, but if she ever offers to cook BBQ ribs... run!
a green sky while riding in the car is one of my earliest memories. I remember that color, nothing else just that eerie grey green. Sticks with me. I don't remember where we were exactly, just on a road trip. It was such a vivid color, almost entrancing. The sky wasn't supposed to be green I was old enough to know that.
Green means hail and if there is that crazy weird feeling in the air get the kids in the basement, then go outside to stare at the sky with camera in hand. It's the midwest way
A nonamous only time I saw a green sky (up around Toronto, Canada) there was a nasty storm, but no hail. A good foot of water in the parking lot though
Wrong
In Iowa a lady was standing at the doorway recording and she would have gotten sucked out of the house if not for her husband.
That said I was standing outside looking at the cool clouds in that storm.
Hell yeah! It is exactly what my idiotic husband and I did, and watched our barn get hit by a tornado. It looked like a drunken sailor! It jumped over us, and almost hit my best friend, then totaled our 100-year-old barn. WHAT-A-SIGHT!!
This is good basic information for everyone to have. You explain it in such a way that it is not too elementary nor too complicated, and I like that. You also have a pleasant voice. Thank you for the shows!
Living in Texas, I’ve seen those green skies many times (sort of an evil shade of green). They aren’t always followed by a tornadoes, but they do always seem to mean a violent thunderstorm is imminent.
I live in the central U.S. and when I've seen green, hail always has followed.
Gene Waddle that has happened recently in the east coast. There was a green sky and some parts of the area hailed
Really? For me, green is pretty common in huge storms, hail is a bit less common but not super closely correlated (though when you have both, you should already be in the basement... not that we ever are), but either way, I've never had a tornado in my area because of the topography. There was apparently only ever one in the past couple generations just before I was born.
Whatever you do, Gene, don't look at the grass! Don't!
It is reportedly one of the most frightening sights you could ever see. While not always a definite sign that a storm has become violent and deadly enough to start hammering out cyclonic warfare, knowing that it is a potential sign and in how it looks so ominous and unusual is what makes it very shocking.
Here in Ohio, once in a while we see a very green sky. It's scary and bizarre looking, making even the ground and surroundings look green. Thankfully not one of these skies have led to a tornado. But for those who have never seen it, it is VERY green.
Expert Excavating last year there were a ton of green skies. Haven't seen one yet this year in ohio. Good thing though.
I have played much Fallout 3, so I can confirm that green skies are indicators of dangerous conditions.
We recently had a tornado outbreak in CT. The sky turned an eerie mint green, then about 10 minutes of intense lightning rain and hail and a sudden blast of wind strong enough to obscure the sky and now trees, then nothing. As if the world were coming to and end then complete calm except for the continued rain.
We got 4 F0-1 tornadoes in Oxford, Beacon Falls, Southbury, Winsted, and a microburst in Danbury.
Oh! This was so interesting for me! The one time I saw a tornado (I live on the east coast so a little less common) I have always remembered how the sky was distinctly green before I saw it. I thought I was being a little weird or paranoid for always looking out for green skies after that during stormy weather but now I know there is some good reason to look out for it. Thank you SciShow! ❤
I was thinking about asking this weeks ago! Fantastic!
ARANDAVISION! Good to see Michael on the channel.
johnnystir I know right he’s a great host! Sad he hasn’t hosted as many recently:(
I always said that the sky turns green before a tornado! People thought I was crazy.
I've never heard of green skies being a sign of tornadoes. A wall cloud or funnel is usually a sign of tornadoes. Better yet is sirens, public emergency announcements and the actual local weather channel. Green skies has always been known as a warning that the clouds contain a lot of ice which could produce hail if it doesn't melt before hitting the ground.... Is there else that lives in tornado alley who has heard green=tornadoes?
Yes, green-shift (or the seemingly impossible "green-purple" mixture) before a twister is real. It's like the whole sky has gone undead. I learned to look for it without ever hearing someone else describe it. If you think about it, dense ice-clouds are by definition very cold with huge updrafts, and they are looking for a place to sink to rebalance the temperature inversion, which is what sets off a funnel cloud in the first place.
Another, earlier sign of potential tornado is that the surrounding air seems weirdly warm and thick for the time of day, a function of the drafting process. The wind will change direction for apparently no reason, suddenly heading towards the clouds or weather-line instead of spreading out away from them , and it smells thick and boding or electric, probably from friction carrying ground charges and bunching up the draft foundations under the storm front.
Oddly enough, I found that the fishing got good right as these various changes were taking place, as if the fish were suddenly excited about a meal before hunkering down in the depths for many hours. This can lead to some dangerous decisions...
The public emergency crap is a bad substitute and often too late or full of false alarms when compared to knowing what to sense on your own. The scientific instruments are good for their own reasons, but -- on the day -- by the time they can get interpreted as +/- xx% this or that, a proper outdoorsman and all the rest of nature have already figured it out.
I live in eastern Illinois ,about midway North and South. I have seen many green skies and almost always create hail plus a tornado within 25 miles. We have never been hit by one yet though so yeah, I pay a lot of attention when it's green and swirling too. Just wish I had a camera handy when I see them. Phone does not do very well....
55Ramius: yah, I lived in Urbana for a few years, and during late summer we could literally sit at the edge of town and watch partial funnel clouds form over the moraine to the east. One time I saw 3 of them at once in the upper air towards Indiana. As long as the green didn't spread to over our own heads we were okay, since we were on lower ground.
Yes, growing up in Tennessee I heard it pretty early. Always noticed a green sky before the tornadoes I witnessed. Out in Arizona it happens and usually just means hail, but it did accompany a funnel cloud once. It's like the air is foreign, and everything feels eerie.
Once in NW Ohio. And followed by a tornado. I hadn't heard it before, either; but I immediately knew darned well that it couldn't be a good thing!!! Ugliest, scariest color you'll ever see.
I tought green skies was a sign that Snoop Dogg was coming to town :o
@LagiNaLangAko23
A big fluffly nug headed our way.
In Europe you see more grey or yellow skies before storms. I don't know how blue can become grey or even yellow.
The latter is pretty good warning for halestorm though. If it doesn't throw down ice, then it usually becomes heavy rain and strong winds. I made once the mistake of ignoring the warning (was preparing for an exam and wanted to go out before it's too late...). It felt like getting waterboarded and trees next to me were broken, which made it really scary.
Poland is the same. Yellow sky (not just sky, the very light outside becomes yellow) means very bad thunderstorm is coming most of the times.
I live in Iowa, and when we have a yellow sky it's always (to my recollection) been peaceful.
edi ii
I doubt that it's the same dirty yellow.
Check yourself for colorblindness
it's because my fly swatter is green and when I swing at a fly it causes a tornado and the colour from the swatter explodes Into the sky.
this one is lengthy weird and bad. sorry
It’s still hilarious
what a mood
T J shut up
T J well stop wasting your time and get out
Good to see Michael after so long
Congratulations Scishow on 5,000,000 subscribers and counting!!!
Because tornados make sky angry.
Mike Wade rotation of the tornado makes the sky sick and about to vomit...
*Razor. Mirror. Tarzan.*
And we wouldn't like it when the sky gets angry...
No, it green with envy!
True
Great video
The wind succs the color away
I live in an area where tornados are not so easy to be created, but I did Basic and AIT in areas more prone to tornados, or tsunami and others. Had some safety tests on the tornado sirens at Fort Leonard Wood, but never had one happen while I was there. This is a nice, handy piece of information if I do end up seeing a green sky for my first time.
Simple! I stole all the blue in the sky and hijacked a tornado
Hustle Hank hustle Hank beats muscle Hank on this one
Hustle hank successfully tussled muscle hank.
OH MAN SINCE WHEN WAS THERE A HUSTLE HANK I'M LAUGHING SO HARD MAN 😂👏
There is also a Chainsaw Hank and i saw two Dank Hanks but they dont seem to comment very often
Big deal. I ATE a fried green tornado.
Somebody just spilled a glass of green smoothie in the sky
THATS A VERY INTERESTING VIDEO ..... THANKS FOR THAT .....!!!
I live near Detroit and I remember when I was a little kid there was a green sky and my cousin kept telling me that there would be a tornado and it scared the heck out of me. (It ended up just being the severe thunderstorm.)
Hoosier here. I recall an instance when I was 5 years old, at my meemaw's with cousins visiting, and the sky went green. A funnel cloud passed overhead. It was 1985, but I still remember it.
I've experienced a green sky before! Although I was in California. It was in the late morning in the early 2010s, and what came out of it was small hail, it's still pretty memorable for me because it was also a school day and we were outside and my friend got hit in the head with one lol (it didnt do any harm though)
Green clouds have been a sign for extreme hailstorms where i live (Germany). One Moment, the sky is dark green, without wind and ghostly silent, the next one its rain, hail and lightning everywhere, including floodings and destroyed trees and houses.
Wasn’t even a part of the notification squad I just happened to be in my subscriptions inbox when this popped up lol. Fascinating vid tho
Noticed a green sky yesterday driving through hays Kansas had to stop for an hour in a shelter waiting for storm to pass
In my atmospheric physics class we talked about this phenomena but it was attributed mostly towards the light interaction of suspended grapple or frozen precipitation on its way towards becoming hail stones unless they melt before hitting the ground.
I've seen this phenomena (but not associated with tornadoes though I think some of the supercells in question did spawn them elsewhere, in general I had always thought it was mostly the powerful convection cell scattering away those wavelengths...
why does the sky turn yellow sometimes? just wondering, cause sometimes its super cloudy and suddenly the sky will turn orange and then turn yellow and then normal again? like its not sunset, because its really thick storm clouds, and its super super dark, but everything is yellow or orange. it happened multiple times last summer.
We see yellow skies in Kansas. They always scare me somewhat, looks like something bad is about to happen.
perfect timing, there was a tornado alert where i live today
Huh never knew this, one of the few facts that you've talked about that I've never heard of. Thanks guys!!!
Wowsers... following your Green-Flash vid with a Green-Suck vid... kudos for the theme :D
I saw a green sky ONCE in my life (France Burgundy 1975) with the hell of a rain fall right after. I still remember it today...
So cool!
Here on the east coast of Australia, once the summer storm clouds have built up, are swirling, & take on that greenish hue, there's a very good chance it'll be a severe thunderstorm with damaging hail, but only occasionally are there tornadoes & rarely as powerful as those that occur in your mid-western states!
However, cyclones in Australia's top end are another matter, on par with your hurricanes (they just rotate the other way)!
Living in Nebraska, I've always thought the green skys were really cool, especially just after a big storm when it's calm and smells like rain and the sun comes back and you remember that it's still like 4 pm
I live in Louisiana and have seen a green sky once. It was FREAKY!!! The conditions were much as you described, late evening with a large incoming storm. Fortunately no tornadoes or hail, but it has been about five years and I still remember that eerie sky vividly.
It's the colour of the butterfly that caused that tornado.
I've actually never heard of this phenomenom, thanks
Here in Poland it tends to become very "dirty" yellow with a tint of green just before really bad thunderstorms. Not every time, but it's a good thing to look out 15-30 minutes before the worst begins
oh neat, my dad told me it was because of greenery getting sucked into the sky by a tornado. but since the tornado hasn't formed yet by the time you or I see green, that makes less sense.
I've seen a dark green sky once, just before a storm that produced golf ball sized hail. I could also hear the hail falling from a long way off. Once the storm passed, we had about 2 inches of ice on the ground.
Absolutely used this rule in southern Michigan area growing up. Didn't always mean a tornado, but it did mean a watch was gonna go up.
Going green.
As someone has seen the movie Twister, I like this video.
Aduro Tri , ironically, tornadoes suck less than that movie.
Then I have bad taste, because I still like it after all these years.
I live in the UK and we're not known for having tornadoes here... but we do still occasionally get green-tinged skies late in the day. And it usually starts raining pretty soon afterwards. So I can see how they could be a sign of a potential tornado in some places!
This explains why I've been disappointed so many times, expecting to see a tornado and all I got were those damned green clouds...
I have a memory of my mom dragging me and my brother out of the basement where we were taking cover when we were very small to show us a green sky and tell us that its a sign of what my mom called a "serious business storm" and that when we saw it we were to ALWAYS take cover even if she wasn't there.
I was in Orlando a few years ago and the sky turned dark green right before sunset. Later there were reports of tornadoes and we had some strong winds.
Easy, a legendary super saiyan doing a fly by, probably the cause of the tornado as well
I saw green skies at night during a hurricane in Virginia once several years ago, it was fascinating!
_Twister_ is one of my favorite movies.
Thank you for making me feel more safe i thougt that a Tornado Was coming but i think its just a lot of rain
currently watching this during a thunderstorm
You get a putrid greenish yellow (big like grey poupon mustard) in the daytime here in Tornado Alley. I usually at least see a wall cloud or hear of a touchdown in a nearby town when the world turns that surreal color.
Your videos sound like click bait, but never disappoint. More should be like this.
I saw green skies once when I was in southern Indiana. I was in an econ 201 class and everybody noticed how green the skies were getting, and within a few minutes the air raid sirens come on, meaning tornado. That was back in 93 or 94 and I'll never forget it.
I'm from Oklahoma. Thunderstorms can have green light in mid days. It usually means that there is hail in the cloud. I have personally seen more than 20 tornadoes and survived 2. Very exciting and awesome thunderstorms here are.
If the sky looks like it's going to throw up, it probably will.
I've never seen a green sky but whenever there is a very terrible thunderstorm that has tornado warnings (or just tornado warnings in general) the sky always turns an orangey yellow
After I first moved to Florida from Seattle, I drove through a storm that I later found out to be a confirmed F0 tornado. As I approached it, I noticed it being green and as I drove into it and it got dark, it looked more muddy green. I would analyze this to be from it pulling up grass and trees, instead of a water droplet thing. I stopped along the road until I could see a little and then continued on my way. Out the back side, it was blue skies and no rain. Strangest thing I had seen. I turned on the radio and found out there was a tornado spotted on the ground where I was. When I got home, the news showed the path it had taken. Confirmed tornado. I had expected to see one that looked like they do on Twister or other news. It did not look like that from my perspective.
I'm from Kansas. I remember seeing this happen. It also reminds me of the storms in fallout 4
I saw the sky turning green one time while I was at evening church. It went from green to black and it was only 330 and there was a tornado warning. Don't go to church if there is a tornadic storm because they will sing about how they are ready to see God and how they aren't afraid to die. YALL ARE OLD OF COURSE YALL FEEL READY I HAVEN'T EVEN COMPLETED A FOURTH OF THE LIFE EXPECTANCY
izzy beans
Why do i find this comment so funny
Yay scishow
I live in Wichita and we had a green sky last night with a hail warning!
24th and liked you are correct, most of the time green does not mean you will see a tornado just as you said always RAIN, wind and usually hail although a tornado is still far from unheard of. At least that's been my observations over the past 36 years from here central Illinois.
Never knew this until today.
Seen many green skies during many intense storms,
I have yet to see a tornado. Not gonna lie tho, when the sky is green, you know you're in for an intense storm.
Jesus christ thank you I was scared outta my mind when I saw a green cloud coming in I was soo woried
I'm in Missouri...we get lots of tornados here 😩
Story time
When I was young me and my brother we shootin hoops outside on a tiny goal (black and pink), and out of nowhere very suddenly the sky turned a very cool but heavy sinister green (The atmosphere was dead calm and the air was still). I joked around saying a tornado was coming. Nothing happened for a few hours but after we went inside and ate, our tree in back yard was getting tossed around and hail was smacking our window. That tree was strong and tall so I knew this was serious, the storm got very bad and the next morning a lot around the neighborhood was destroyed but my question was why was no damn tornado warning issued for us in that wild ass storm
We actually get green tinted sunsets not infrequently with summer storms in South Carolina, even if it's just a normal sized storm (hail is rare and tornadoes even rarer.) Never saw a green sky when I lived in Iowa though...
Huh, this just happened here in BC yesterday, I've always wondered
Sci Show what about reddish and greenish lightening flashes in an oncoming tornado system?
If it sounds like a freight train is coming, dive in the basement. The dive part being especially true if your basement is flooded due to rain.
Mnah. It's just the wind sucking the blue away
Last tornado here was at 4pm a month ago & the sky were green as chlorine. Freaked me out😨
"...going green."
"Green-age... Dude."
Dark greyish-green skies in Queensland are usually a good indication of a hail storm, but not always.
I've seen this here in Oklahoma and tbh it looks so cool!!
All of our patrons on patron
I am a lifelong South Dakotan and former NOAA weather watcher /recorder and I've never heard of anyone saying green sky indicates a tornado. It does usually indicate Hail in the immediate area though and if Hail is occurring then there is a chance there is a tornado.
do plants wiggle? or move on their own? dance party?
The meteorological equivalent to announcing unpleasant things that are about to happen and which will involve a lot of smashing.
Is this coincidentally taken from the recent discussion about this same topic on last weeks Skeptics Guide to the Universe?
I have seen a Pecos Hank video about this.
That's strange. In Australia the prevailing wisdom goes green skies=hail.
In the eye of a hurricane there is quiet
For just a moment, a yellow sky
this is the first time e-begging not only didnt piss me off but actually had somebenifit to the human race
This just happened to me
Oh cool! My mom and I have always said that green skies lead to really bad weather, but it seemed like just a superstition we made up on our own, not something that lots of other people recognized. It was like, are our eyes deceiving us? *Green?*
I've seen this phenomenon before in an ominous Summer Storm. No tornado though, thankfully.
Damn, that’s a scary sunset...
Living in Europe I've never seen one and I'm hoping I never will... but a green sky sounds beautiful