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Home / Travel

Hagibis: Japan's purple sky in the morning a typhoon warning

NZ Herald
15 Oct, 2019 12:27 AM3 mins to read

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Japan's skies turned pink hours before the super typhoon. Photo / Supplied, Twitter

Japan's skies turned pink hours before the super typhoon. Photo / Supplied, Twitter

Long before super typhoon Hagibis made ground in Japan an eerie phenomenon was noticed by those waiting for the storm.

Instead of grey storm clouds the typhoon arrived in a spectacular purple sky. Pictures captured by sheltering Japanese and international tourists show a sky turned a surreal shade of bubble-gum pink.

空の色めちゃくちゃ紫やねんけど😅 pic.twitter.com/ZXkLwN8E54

— カ (@Ca___virgo) October 11, 2019

紫の空色が不気味過ぎる💧 pic.twitter.com/AvcHUZlBtN

— ぷうきち𖡿🐾𐂂♬.*゚ (@pupupu42124) October 11, 2019
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These pictures became viral on Twitter as it shows an unusual appearance of the sky.

What's behind these pink clouds?

The color is not totally "pink", but a "pinkish red" or "purplish red". We can sometimes see it, specifically during sunrise/sunset.#Hagibis #TyphoonHagibis pic.twitter.com/wRssRZXMJy

— Matthew S. Cuyugan (@MatthewSCuyugan) October 11, 2019

The purple "scattering" as it is known is a phenomenon that occurs when heavy rain displaces larger atmospheric particles which absorb light. What remains is a fine spray of particles that act as a prism to rays passing through, particularly at dawn or dusk.

In this case the sky reflected the shorter wavelength colours giving the clouds an unnatural purple hue.

It's not the first time the meteorological event has been observed.

Ahead of last year's Hurricane Michael in Florida, observers in the US described bright pinks reds and purples in the sky.

READ MORE:
• Typhoon Hagibis: Death toll in Japan climbs to 42 after storm unleashes widespread flooding
• Typhoon Hagibis' trail of destruction: 19 dead and dozens missing
• How Super Typhoon Hagibis became a beast, looming over Japan
• A weekend in Toyota with Hagibis: A rugby fan's typhoon travel guide

"As sunlight shines down to Earth, most of the colours of the spectrum are able to reach the surface uninterrupted," explained meteorologist Lauren Rautenkranz at the time.
"The light scatters around the moisture in the air, causing the magical purple colour."

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More superstitious observers took it as an omen for the approaching storm.

空の色がおかしい....

日本が終わる予兆か??? pic.twitter.com/GA5bYH4g74

— あらーと⚠️ (@ara_to1) October 11, 2019

LOOK: The sky in Japan turned pink hours before the wrath of Super Typhoon 🙏🙏

So, I search for the meaning of a Purple Sky? And i found out that... 😭🥺🙏🏻#Hagibis#PrayForJapan pic.twitter.com/h2isOgPIfe

— 𝕎𝔼ℕℂ𝕐 ✨ (@sengdayritt) October 12, 2019

"A beautiful scene, indeed," wrote one. "But beneath it lies a big catastrophe. Pray for Japan, everyone."

By Monday the storm which dumped almost half of the country's average annual rainfall had passed leaving at least 40 dead.

Over 110,000 rescuers joined the effort to reach those affected by the storms.

Discover more

World

How Japan's Super Typhoon Hagibis became a beast

10 Oct 05:09 AM
Sport|rugby

A weekend in Toyota with Hagibis: Alternative rugby plans

10 Oct 08:47 PM
World

Typhoon Hagibis' trail of destruction: 19 dead and dozens missing

13 Oct 06:15 AM
World

Death toll from Typhoon Hagibis climbs to 42

14 Oct 08:55 AM
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