‘Rainbow clouds’ seen in Tampines on 13 April, iridescence dubbed as S’pore’s Northern Lights

Netizens share beautiful photos of rainbow colours alongside clouds in Tampines

While the famed “Northern Lights” will never make an appearance in Singapore, some people think we have our own version.

Last Saturday (13 April), stunning rainbows were seen alongside clouds in Tampines.

The phenomenon, known as cloud iridescence, has also been likened to Paddle Pop ice cream.

Rainbow clouds spotted in Tampines

Beautiful photos of the iridescence were shared by netizen Andrew Teo in the CloudSpotting & SkySpotting Singapore Facebook group over the weekend.

He said he took them at about 6pm last Saturday (13 April), from a location in Tampines.

In his photos, the brilliant rainbow colours were at the edges of the clouds, as though they were being covered by them.

The swirls of multicoloured light lit up the darkening sky around them and caused other clouds to be bathed in the bright hues too.

Rainbow clouds in Tampines compared to Northern Lights

Mr Teo compared the sight to the Northern Lights, typically seen only in high-latitude regions around the Arctic and Antarctic.

Others have also likened it to Paddle Pop, an ice cream popsicle known for having similarly whimsical colours.

However, Mr Teo also described the phenomenon as iridescent clouds.

According to EarthSky, this is caused by tiny ice crystals or water droplets in the air that diffract the light, creating the rainbow-like effect.

Iridescent clouds are not to be confused with circumhorizon arcs. In the latter, the colours are similar but are neatly organised in a band with red on top and violet at the bottom.

Netizens share photos of iridescent clouds

In response to the post, other netizens shared their photos of the iridescent clouds taken on the same day.

Another photo taken in Tampines showed the vibrant scene above a block of flats.

A netizen was lucky enough to catch a portion of it above Our Tampines Hub.

The iridescence wasn’t confined to Tampines, as a netizen also saw the pigments in the skies above the Singapore Expo at about 7pm.

One woman didn’t have to go far, capturing the rare vision from the vantage point of her balcony.

The last time iridescent clouds were reported in Singapore was in May 2023, when they were spotted in the sky above Seletar Aerospace Park.

Also read: Iridescent Clouds On 24 May Look Like Northern Lights, S’poreans Marvel At Rare Sight

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Featured image adapted from Andrew Teo via CloudSpotting & SkySpotting Singapore on Facebook.