GALVESTON, Texas — The remnants of Hurricane Delta are bringing a 'purple haze' so to speak, to the Galveston sunset Friday night.
These pictures are not doctored. It really is that purple. This phenomenon is the result of a combination of the sun setting and the low clouds commonly found as a storm exits the region.
You've noticed the sky and clouds turning orange during a typical Texas sunset. That's due to the scattering of the red and orange wavelengths as sunlight passes through a thicker layer of atmosphere as it sets.
Then, add a low deck of stratocumulus clouds (the kind we had Friday evening) and those clouds have the effect of scattering out the blue and purple wavelengths, making them more visible to the human eye.
The result is eerie, dramatic, and quite beautiful.