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.

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

Split image showing a pastel countryside sunset with pink and orange sky over rolling hills on the left, and a vivid red ocean sunset with dark waves and glowing clouds on the right, divided by a curved white line.

Sunday 22 February 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Sky views from the final week of winter

Tuesday 24 February 2026

Snowstorm fallout

US East Coast: Blizzard paralyses cities

Europe weather map showing widespread sunshine across Spain, France, Italy, and central Europe, with temperatures in the teens and low 20s, and a band of rain over Ireland and the eastern Atlantic moving toward the UK.

Thursday 26 February 2026

Low vs high pressure

Gloom returns as Europe still basks

All articles

Weather explained: How do rainbows form?

Weather explainedHow do rainbows form?

Weather explained
How do rainbows form?