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

    Weather explained: How do rainbows form?

Weather explained
How do rainbows form?

Double rainbow beginning on land, in Torquay, Devon, and ending in the Atlantic Ocean.
This double rainbow was snapped leaping off of land into the Atlantic from Torquay, Devon. - © Zsolt Goldman

Question: How does a rainbow form?

Answer:

As raindrops pass through rays of light, a rainbow's colours become visible despite being white light from the Sun.

Each colour has a different wavelength, as light hits raindrops the sunlight is refracted into the spectral colours. The light we see reaches our eyes at a 42-degree angle, forming a circle, and from our perspective the classic rainbow shape.

Video explainer:

Weather & Radar editorial team
This might also interest you
Spring records for England & Wales. Above-average warmth. . . Tuesday 2 June 2026
Split graphic showing a European temperatures anomaly map on the left with widespread warmer-than-average conditions, and a UK and Ireland heat map on the right displaying intense heat with temperatures exceeding 30 °C.
Tuesday 2 June 2026

Above-average warmth

Spring records for England & Wales
Why it's hard to pinpoint thunderstorms. Trickier than you think. . . Wednesday 27 May 2026
Split image showing a nighttime lightning strike beneath storm clouds on the left and a lightning detection map with dense storm activity across central England on the right.
Wednesday 27 May 2026

Trickier than you think

Why it's hard to pinpoint thunderstorms
Tornado damages houses in Poland. Roofs blown off. . . Sunday 31 May 2026
Thunderstorm on the weather radar. A tornado symbol is shown
Sunday 31 May 2026

Roofs blown off

Tornado damages houses in Poland
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