Published on Jan. 12, 2024, 6:49 PM
Frigid weather has transformed western Canada, with sun dogs, light pillars, and other frigid phenomena making an appearance.
Plunging temperatures have brought out spectacular light displays, with both sun dogs and light pillars reported across western Canada.
Light pillars on the Prairies
Light pillars were seen in parts of Manitoba Thursday evening amid frigid temperatures.
The chance to see the phenomenon could persist into the weekend, with more cold on the way.
What is a light pillar?
“Light pillars appear on freezing nights due to the presence of tiny hexagon-plate ice crystals in the air,” explains Weather Network science writer Scott Sutherland.
“As these crystals float on air currents, their faces act like tiny mirrors, each reflecting the light from any source directly below, and as there are millions of these crystals suspended in the air, the light from street lamps or signs gets stretched high into the sky as towering pillars of illumination.”
They’re most likely to appear on cold, calm nights when ice crystals can form closer to the ground rather than higher up in the atmosphere.
And while they usually form around artificial lights, pillars can also form in the presence of natural sources, like the moon.