The three US states of Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska were on July 5, 2022, hit by a storm system known as ‘derecho’. According to reports, the storm moved with a wind speed of around 140 km per hour. It not only destroyed several trees but also went on to snap the power supply. Skies turned green as the storm hit these three states. Many experienced storm watchers also claimed of never witnessed such atmospheric optics, several reports said.
As per the US-based National Weather Service, ‘derecho’ is “a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm.” It is found to be associated with fast moving thunderstorms or showers. The name ‘derecho’ is derived from the Spanish word which means ‘straight’. Various studies have found that thunderstorm winds have no rotation during straight-line storms. A storm can cover hundreds of miles.
Reports suggest that ‘derecho’ being a hot weather phenomenon, does not occur during May, when the summertime begins, and occurs during June and July. Unlike other storms, this storm occurs very rarely. To be classified as ‘derecho’, a storm must have a wind speed of t least 93 km per hour. Its damage can also extend to 400 km. A report by School of Meteorology, University of Oklahama, said that the time gap between successive wind damage incidents must not be over three hours.
The sky turns green during thunderstorms as light interacts with huge quantities of water they hold. ‘The Washington Post’ said in a report that raindrops and hail remove everything accepted blue wavelengths , Because of this, blue light passes below the storm cloud. This light combines with the red-yellow light of the afternoon or evening sun to produce the green light in the atmosphere. The ‘detrecho’ storm mostly occurs in central and eastern parts of the US.