Rare 'fire rainbow' cloud spotted above South Carolina beach

An incredible 'fire rainbow' floated in the air over South Carolina on Sunday, thankfully lingering so that it could be photographed and posted to social media.

The phenomenon is actually a cloud formation, formally referred to as a circumhorizontal arc. 

Viewers were understandably enchanted by the iridescent cloud over the Isle of Palms. 

One visitor, Tracey Smith, even noted that the cloud resembled a multi-coloured angel hovering in the sky in her Instagram snap.

Tracey also said that the cloud formation lasted overhead for about an hour, reported the local 14 News.

It takes a special set of weather conditions for such a breath-taking sight to occur - circumhorizontal arcs most commonly occur in cirrus clouds but only when they're aligned horizontally.

Because such a specific angle is necessary for the colours to be visible, the phenomenon is most common at middle latitudes, which includes the southern United States.

'You're more likely to see this type of rainbow during the summer in North America,' Dayna Vettese, a meteorologist at The Weather Network, explained.

'But in places like Europe, the arcs are much rarer.' 

(dailymail.co.uk)