Took pictures of the strange phenomenon: "Rare"

 

Umeå
Mother-of-pearl clouds above Umeå

Oskar Forsberg

Published 21.55

             

         

          Mother-of-pearl clouds above Umeå.

         1 / 2Photo: Maria Svensson

This morning, Umeå residents could see mother-of-pearl clouds above their city.

The phenomenon appears in winter time in the northern hemisphere.

- They are relatively rare, says Lasse Rydqvist at Klart.

The sky above Västerbotten was unusually beautiful this morning. So-called mother-of-pearl clouds were seen, among other things above Umeå.

The phenomenon is quite rare, according to Lasse Rydqvist, meteorologist at Klart.

- They form in the stratosphere, which is above the troposphere, under cold conditions, he says.

The stratosphere, where the phenomenon occurs, is at an altitude of about 15,000–25,000 meters above sea level.

It is water, nitric acid and sulfuric acid that are the cause of the shimmering clouds.

Mother-of-pearl clouds or polar stratospheric clouds shine in iridescent colors. Photo: Maria Svensson