Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Home / Editor's Pick /

Seen in Norfolk: What causes double rainbows?

15:00
9 April 2023

Seen in Norfolk
What causes double rainbows?

Double rainbowThis double rainbow was captured in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk last week. - © Richard Lay

A Weather & Radar user captured this stunning double rainbow last week, but do you know what leads to their appearance?

Earlier this week we looked at what leads to the creation of regular rainbows, so how do we end up seeing double?

How are single rainbows created?read more

Sometimes you can see another so-called secondary rainbow next to the main rainbow. This is located above the main rainbow at an angle of 51 degrees.

The second rainbow is created by another reflection within the raindrop. The path of the light is thus longer and part of the light is lost.

Therefore, the second rainbow appears only fainter, if at all.

At the same time, the colours in the secondary rainbow are arranged in reverse to those in the main rainbow.

Captured a double rainbow near you? Send it in to us using the uploader!

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Silhouette of a person sitting beside a telescope on a tripod under a clear night sky filled with dense stars and the bright band of the Milky Way.
Wednesday 1 April 2026

April astronomy outlook

Pink Moon rises ahead of meteor shower
Left: Weather radar from Monday evening – Right: The corresponding wind radar
Wednesday 1 April 2026

Air quality dropping

Saharan dust coats the Canaries
Split weather graphic showing breezy conditions across the UK and Ireland on the left with winds around 25–30 mph, and a rain band moving east across Ireland into Britain on the right.
Tuesday 31 March 2026

Unsettled midweek

Wet & windy Wednesday for some
All weather news
This might also interest you
Outline of Santa Claus with a yellow and white hat, "Ho-Ho-Ho" next to the outline above a Christmas tree.
Thursday 25 December 2025

Merry Christmas!

Wishes from Weather & Radar
Split image showing strong winds over the UK on a forecast map and widespread rain and snow on a weather radar map.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Severe gales & heavy rain

Storm Chandra makes impact
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList