A rare and mesmerizing fogbow—often called a "white rainbow"—was recently spotted over Galveston’s west end. Unlike traditional rainbows, these misty arcs appear almost colorless. But what exactly causes a fogbow?
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A unique fogbow, also known as a "white rainbow," was recently seen over Galveston's west end, which caught the attention of people living there.
Fogbows are different from regular rainbows because the tiny fog drops spread out the light more evenly, making the bows look pale or almost colorless. When sunlight goes through a thin layer of fog, it bends and reflects inside the drops, but the colors don't separate as sharply as they do in a normal rainbow. This is because they look like ghosts, so people sometimes call them "ghost rainbows."
Tony Yanez, a meteorologist, said that a fogbow can only happen when the fog is thin enough that sunlight can pass through but there are still droplets in it to bend and spread the light. This makes the sky have a soft, glowing curve that you can often see near the coast. ThompM, a local photographer, took a picture of the latest fogbow over Galveston and shared it on click2pins.com.
Photographers and weather fans who catch similar rare atmospheric events are asked to send their pictures to Click2Pins so that meteorologists and the public can keep track of these amazing events.
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has closed the oyster harvesting area TX-5 in Galveston Bay after reef health fell below sustainability thresholds, leaving only two public areas open in the bay as the season continues.
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The Gulf Coast Protection District voted unanimously Jan. 21 to advance preliminary engineering and design work on the long-debated Galveston Bay Barrier System, a $31 billion centerpiece of the broader Coastal Texas Project. Supporters call it critical storm protection; critics question its cost, timeline, and effectiveness.
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A $35 million beach renourishment project on Pensacola Beach is nearing completion, with 1.5 million cubic yards of sand set to be placed along 8.1 miles of shoreline ahead of peak spring tourism. Similar restoration efforts have wrapped up in Galveston, Texas.