Did Anyone See This Rare Weather Moment In The Southtowns?

It was a rare weather phenomenon in Hamburg that occurred right around sunset on Tuesday. If you were driving home from work or picking the kids up, you may have seen what many consider to be one of the coolest weather events you can witness.

When it gets as cold as it has been around Western New York the last couple of days, the light that we see can form what it know as a light pilar.

A light pillar is an atmospheric optical phenomenon in which a vertical beam of light appears to extend above and/or below a light source. The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere or that comprise high-altitude clouds (e.g. cirrostratus or cirrus clouds).[1] If the light comes from the Sun (usually when it is near or even below the horizon), the phenomenon is called a sun pillar or solar pillar.

With temperatures hovering around zero Tuesday afternoon, I was making my way through the Village of Hamburg and noticed this extraordinary sunset and light pillar moment.

The weather is going to be in a roller coaster pattern this week. However, we are looking at some bitterly cold air coming to the Western New York area this weekend. Fans who are going to see the Buffalo Bills face the New England Patriots need to dress warm and be ready for single digit temps by kickoff this Saturday night. Keep and eye out over the stadium as you walk in and you may see a light pillar from the stadium lights.