Residents across Birmingham were treated to a breathtaking and surreal spectacle overnight as the city's sky transformed into a sensational shade of purple. The stunning visual display, coinciding with the arrival of Storm Goretti's snowfall, prompted a flood of social media posts as locals rushed to share images and debate the cause of the jaw-dropping phenomenon.
Social Media Buzz and Conflicting Theories
From King's Heath to Small Heath, Brummies took to platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) to post snaps of the unusual purple and pink tint. The online discussion quickly became a hub for competing theories. One popular explanation pointed the finger at Birmingham City FC's St Andrews stadium, suggesting the club's UV pitch lights were responsible for the colourful glow.
One Redditor clarified, "No, this is not AI. Apparently the sky got this pink/purple tint from the Birmingham City Football Club football stadium, where they’re using UV lights for the grass." Others chimed in with similar stadium-related explanations, with one noting a similar occurrence in Hednesford due to local football pitch LEDs.
The Science Behind the Purple Hue
However, many residents and weather enthusiasts offered a more meteorological explanation linked directly to the snowy conditions. One commenter explained, "Snow is highly reflective. In bright urban environments, all of the artificial light basically deflects and scatters off the snow and back into the clouds, which are themselves reflective. This causes the pink atmospherics that you're seeing."
This theory aligns with a past explanation from the Met Office. In 2023, the weather service addressed similar purple skies in Burnham-On-Sea. A Met Office spokesman stated at the time: “The unusually pink or purple skies were down to quite a simple reason. Particles in the air as part of an Atlantic air mass helped to create this purple hue... Coupled with a shelf of cloud to reflect the sun, as well as slower sunsets at this time of year, this means many people had an opportunity to see a purple or pink glow.”
Resolving the Mystery
Despite the convincing stadium light theory, evidence suggests the primary cause was natural atmospheric optics. Some online sleuths quickly debunked the football connection, with one pointing out, "Nothing to do with the stadium, which isn't even open lol. It's atmospheric light scattering." The combination of fresh snow from Storm Goretti, abundant artificial city lighting, and specific cloud conditions created the perfect recipe for the violet spectacle.
The phenomenon was observed at different times across the city, with one resident noting their first picture was taken just after sunset and a second from a different area as late as 11pm. Whether attributed to 'the Premier Inn invasion' in jest or to the precise science of light scattering, the event provided a moment of shared wonder and beauty for the city during a winter storm.
