A Double Rainbow On Thanksgiving In Puget Sound

SEATTLE, WA - On Thanksgiving morning in Puget Sound, Mother Nature provided a rainbow feast.

Around 8 a.m., a squall over Beacon Hill in Seattle was illuminated by a rising sun to the east. What started off as a single rainbow turned into a double rainbow, and then it was all gone within 15 minutes.

Or was it?

According to the National Weather Service, rainbows are an optical illusion. They don't exist in one particular location. Seeing one all depends on where you're standing and the weather conditions around you.

Rainbows are "created by refraction, total reflection, and the dispersion of light. It is visible when the sun is shining through air containing water spray or raindrops, which occurs during or immediately after a rain shower. The bow is always observed in the opposite side of the sky from the sun," reads the NWS official rainbow definition.

So, it's possible the Thanksgiving rainbow appeared over different landmarks all across Puget Sound Thursday morning.

Photos by Neal McNamara/Patch