A spectacular sunset dazzled D.C. Thursday evening. Here's how it happened.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I saw these Wednesday night, while on a Yellow Line train headed south over the Potomac River. They were spectacular. Thursday night, though, I saw overcast skies and, eventually, sprinkles.

A spectacular sunset featuring "crepuscular rays" lit up the sky over the D.C. area last night. Here's how it happened:

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Capital Weather Gang • Analysis

A spectacular sunset dazzled D.C. Thursday evening. Here’s how it happened.

Residents of the DMV were treated to a patchwork display of vibrant sunset colors.



An impressive sunset lit up the skies across the DMV on August 1, 2019. Here's how it happened. (Matthew Cappucci/GR2 Analyst)

By Matthew Cappucci
August 2 at 11:32 AM

People in the DMV last night were treated to a magical sunset featuring a relatively rare phenomenon. ... We received dozens of gorgeous photos/videos from readers showing the patchwork sky. Many wondered what the unusual slices were that lit up the evening. A few ingredients combined to produce the epic array of colors and shadows.

The most impressive sunsets tend to occur when sunlight has something to be cast upon. On Thursday evening, a clump of weak thunderstorms formed along a boundary south of the District. The fact that they were struggling actually helped the sunset. That’s because the boundary — which carried behind it cooler, slightly refreshing air — kept undercutting the thunderstorms, choking them off and leaving only their tops behind. ... That meant the sky was free with what are referred to as “orphan anvils,” which are high clouds once attached to thunderstorms that have been cast away.

Farther west over the mountains, a few bubbly clouds managed to hang on until sunset. One, located near Winchester, Virginia, lined up perfectly to block the sun (which sets at a bearing of 293º) over the District. That explains the main wedge-like shadow cast across the sky. A second storm, positioned slightly differently and farther away, produced a thinner shadow to the left of the main wedge.

Meteorologists call these alternating bands of darkness and light “crepuscular rays.” ... Because the clouds were so high, they stayed sunlit during and even after sunset, despite the ground going dark. That’s because of Earth’s curvature, and the fact that sun sets later at higher altitudes.



The "orphan anvils" left behind by decaying storms to the east and southeast served as the perfect backdrop upon which the sun could paint its delicate hues. (Matthew Cappucci/GR2 Analyst)
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It’s a good thing to remember for life in general: The best sunsets can occur after the darkest of clouds and storms.

Absolutely gorgeous sunset across the DMV.

Storms fired along an outflow boundary, and weren't particularly strong... BUT they deposited enough moisture aloft to serve as the perfect sunset backdrop (with a few shadowy chunks taken out by distant storms.) @capitalweather

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Thanks for the explanation, I was wondering what caused this look.

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Matthew Cappucci is a meteorologist for Capital Weather Gang. He earned a B.A. in atmospheric sciences from Harvard University in 2019, and has contributed to The Washington Post since he was 18. He is an avid storm chaser and adventurer, and covers all types of weather, climate science, and astronomy. Follow https://twitter.com/MatthewCappucci

[elleng]

1. THANKS!

Mine here in southern MD not so spectacular, in fact had to squint and check it out between branches!

DID have LOTS of quiet lightening 3-5 a.m!