Here at Only In Your State, we’ve previously covered some super interesting things that happen only in the winter, and this year, we’re back with another edition of “interesting and weird stuff that only happens during wintertime” in the Rough Rider State! Winter in North Dakota is usually no joke; it’s dark, cold – sometimes frigid, even – and it can get a little lonely at the coldest time of year when everyone prefers to stay indoors instead of going out and about. Well, you might want to consider going outside after dark (at like, what, 4 p.m.?) from time to time during the coldest, stillest nights – you might just catch a glimpse of a super unique natural phenomenon called light pillars.
Let’s be real here - North Dakota isn’t exactly known for its easy winters.
Wes Peck/Flickr The average daytime temperature of the Peace Garden State in the winter tends to hover right around 37 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and they can plunge well into the negatives during the coldest nights. Snow and ice are common, as are below-freezing temps. There is, however, a natural phenomenon that occurs because of this extreme cold - it’s an optical phenomenon known as light pillars.
You’ve probably seen them before, whether you knew what they were or not.
125o4/Flickr They tend to be a little strange to folks who haven’t seen them before, and every year, North Dakota puts on a stunning show from time to time, most commonly on frigid, still, windless nights.
These majestic-looking pillars of light are the result of light interacting with ice crystals suspended in the chilly air, and you can spot them over things like street lamps and sometimes even train lights and other moving illuminated objects.
Powhusku/Flickr To those who are not aware of what they’re looking at, they can sometimes appear to be quite intimidating, and they extend for what seems like miles into the heavens.
Thankfully, though, they’re absolutely harmless…
Vegar Norman/Flickr
…and sometimes, when conditions are just right, you might see them during the day, too.
Bryce Bradford/Flickr The larger the ice crystals the light bounces off, the more dramatic the pillars are. Light pillars occur every winter in North Dakota, and next time you see them, you’ll know that it’s not some kind of alien abduction wave going on - just a fascinating natural phenomenon we personally cannot get enough of.
If you’ve ever captured photos of this amazing natural phenom over North Dakota, we’d love to see them!
Ray Majoran/Wikimedia
Show them to us in the comments, or by posting to our official Facebook page. Have you ever witnessed this intriguing optical event? What did you think of it? Tell us all about it in the comments, too!
Wes Peck/Flickr
The average daytime temperature of the Peace Garden State in the winter tends to hover right around 37 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and they can plunge well into the negatives during the coldest nights. Snow and ice are common, as are below-freezing temps. There is, however, a natural phenomenon that occurs because of this extreme cold - it’s an optical phenomenon known as light pillars.
125o4/Flickr
They tend to be a little strange to folks who haven’t seen them before, and every year, North Dakota puts on a stunning show from time to time, most commonly on frigid, still, windless nights.
Powhusku/Flickr
To those who are not aware of what they’re looking at, they can sometimes appear to be quite intimidating, and they extend for what seems like miles into the heavens.
Vegar Norman/Flickr
Bryce Bradford/Flickr
The larger the ice crystals the light bounces off, the more dramatic the pillars are. Light pillars occur every winter in North Dakota, and next time you see them, you’ll know that it’s not some kind of alien abduction wave going on - just a fascinating natural phenomenon we personally cannot get enough of.
Ray Majoran/Wikimedia
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