Dear Tom,
Why does the sky turn green at times during severe thunderstorms? My friend said it’s because a tornado is prevalent. Is this true?
Kenny Graff, Yorkville, Ill. Rich Gorski
Dear Kenny and Rich,
The cause of the greenish tint is still being researched. It is known that the greenish tint is not associated with tornadoes. Many green-tinted thunderstorms do not produce tornadoes.
Recent research suggests the greenish tint of some thunderclouds results from the effect that water drops have on sunlight that passes through the storm, especially when an unusually great amount of water exists within the thunderhead. It is believed water selectively absorbs most of the colors contained in sunlight but scatters the green light, and that is the light that reaches our eyes.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
