Rare ‘Light Pillars’ Stun Arkansans During Winter Storm Blast

Last week's weather in Arkansas was unusual, to say the least. It started on Monday, with the Northern Lights seen across much of the state, caused by a massive solar storm. The week ended with a winter storm bringing ice and snow to the natural state over the weekend, including something rare that had social media talking.

Rare Phenomenon Known As Light Pillars Seen in Arkansas During Winter Storm

If that weren't enough, parts of Arkansas saw a rare optical phenomenon on Sunday morning, January 25,  before sunrise: light pillars.

According to KARK-TV, it happened in Pottsville in Pope County, and a resident living there thought it was the Northern Lights at first, until she glanced again, and it looked completely different. The light anomaly was also spotted by a woman in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and in Danville. See the photos here.

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What is a  Light Pillar? What Caused it to Form in the Night Sky?

The phenomenon is called light pillars, best described as vertical columns of light that extend above or below a light source.  They are caused by falling plate-shaped ice crystals that act as tiny mirrors, reflecting light from streetlights, cars, or the sun near the horizon.

The source of light seen in these pillars is an optical illusion and often occurs during a cold Arctic blast or extreme winter weather, such as this past weekend.

READ MORE: Overall Total Snow Accumulation in Arkansas

While frozen precipitation produced the bizarre light pillars, they can also form on clear night skies, caused by ice crystals forming in the high clouds. Light pillars can only form when the temperature is 15 degrees or colder.

Light pillars are seen mainly in the northern states and in Arctic regions, so seeing one in Arkansas is rare.