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Viral ‘Rainbow’ Clouds Over Indonesia Confirmed as Iridescence

Forecasters say the display points to growing convective clouds, not a major storm.

Overview

  • Videos from Jonggol in Bogor, southeast of Jakarta, showed a multicolored cloud that drew crowds and briefly paused traffic, with one TikTok clip topping 46 million views.
  • Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG and independent forecasters verified the footage as genuine and said it is not AI imagery.
  • Experts explain the colors come from cloud iridescence, where sunlight diffracts through very small water droplets or ice crystals.
  • The display appeared brightest because the sun was partly obscured, and a towering cumulus cloud blocked part of the arc to create the “rainbow cloud” look.
  • Meteorologists say the sight signals convective growth and a chance of local rain rather than an approaching large storm.