GALLERY – Your rainbow cloud pictures

There was a beautiful and unusual site in the sky above South Holland yesterday (Thursday, December 21).

Thankfully a number of you caught sight of the ‘rainbow clouds’ also known as ‘mother of pearl’ and ‘polar stratospheric clouds’, or by their scientific name nacreous.

Many readers commented on how beautiful they looked and how they hadn’t been seen before.

The clouds made of ice crystals quite rare at these longitudes as they need specific conditions to form, namely a temperature of around -80 in the upper atmosphere 20 miles above ground as well as the sun at a certain angle.

It means you only usually see them in and around the polar regions.

But conditions above Britain have been ripe for them with clouds reported in other parts of the country in the days before Thursday.

Yesterday though it was South Holland’s turn. Here’s the pictures you’ve sent to us.

[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”479″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]

more >

Grants to be created aiming to attract businesses to Spalding and improve town centre

3 Aug 2026

Plans to turn Spalding bingo hall into 41 flats

3 Aug 2026

Man told to pay £1,200 compensation to friend he punched after row over beer

3 Aug 2026

Partial u-turn as new proposals look to keep Spalding Fire Station crewed seven days a week, but full time firefighters would not work nights

3 Aug 2026

Police appeal after four field fires in South Holland in last 24 hours

31 Jul 2026

Lincolnshire Council set as name for new authority that will oversee this area

30 Jul 2026