A video capturing a rare natural event—the simultaneous appearance of a double rainbow and a lightning strike—has gone viral on TikTok.
The video was posted by allivia (@allivia) and has drawn 2.2 million views since it was shared on July 24.
The video begins with a vivid double rainbow stretching across a pink sky. Moments later, the sky darkens into a purplish blue before being split by a sharp bolt of lightning.
Text overlaid on the clip simply says: “My husband’s reaction,” followed by a voice in the clip exclaiming: “Oh my gosh, I got that on video…that was awesome.”
“Seeing a double rainbow and lightning at the same time is an exceptionally rare meteorological phenomenon, so to capture it on film is very lucky indeed,” John Griffiths, chief meteorologist at KISTERS, told Newsweek.
Griffiths explained that the rarity stems from the distinct atmospheric conditions required to create each effect. “The reason this is such a rare thing to see, and film, is simply because the conditions required for rainbows and lightning are very different,” the meteorologist said.
“Rainbows, and especially double rainbows, are formed when sunlight shines through rain droplets at a low angle, meaning we typically see them during the early morning or late in the afternoon when the sun is low on the horizon,” Griffiths noted. “Lightning is associated with convective storms and towering cumulonimbus clouds, which both have a tendency to obscure the sun.”
For both to occur simultaneously, “you need a very rare alignment of storm activity on one side of the sky and clear enough skies on the opposite side to allow sunlight through,” the meteorologist said, noting that “even then, this is surely fleeting, so to capture it on video is very special.”
A rainbow forms only when atmospheric conditions, sunlight, and the observer’s position align perfectly, according to SciJinks, a website run by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It explains that light bends, slows down, and reflects inside water droplets, separating into its various colors and forming a rainbow.
A secondary, fainter rainbow—as seen in allivia’s video—is created by a second internal reflection inside the water droplet. This reflection exits the droplet at a wider angle, causing the secondary rainbow to appear above the primary one with reversed colors—red on the bottom and violet on the top, according to the NOAA.
As for the lightning, the NOAA explains that it is a massive discharge of electricity that can occur within clouds or between the cloud and the ground. Though the exact formation mechanism is still debated, scientists generally agree that small hail particles called graupel, colliding with ice crystals in a cloud, help build up the necessary electrical charges.
‘Astronomical’
In a caption shared with the viral video, the poster said: “Double rainbow and lightning together. we pulled our oldest daughter out of bed to see the rainbow and she was so excited to see not only one, but two!!”
Viewers on TikTok were amazed by the rare sighting in the viral clip.
Nicole said: “The odds of catching this must be astronomical,” and the original poster replied: “Kinda feels like it!!”
Elise DeLucia noted: “A double rainbow and lightening strike is wild!!!!” and @bettybooze211 said: “Wow! Yup that really was awesome!”
Nicole Bronson said: “he was so afraid to get to excited like his video might disappear.”
Nate dogg said: “This is literally how simple we are to please, because this legitimately was awesome!!”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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