Have you ever noticed how the horizon turns a bright red and orange color during fall sunsets?

During Fall we experience some of the most visually spectacular sunsets the Great Lakes region has to offer. 

Lake effect clouds play an important role in creating these sunsets as they form off of the Great Lakes. Lake clouds differ from clouds found in large scale storms, which usually produce overcast skies across an entire area.

In lake effect storms there can be breaks in the overcast on the horizon as lake effect can be extremely localized. As the sun sets, the rays of light coming from the sun shine underneath these low level clouds on the horizon. Due to the path of light coming through the atmosphere the observer only sees the longer wavelengths of red and orange on the underside of the clouds.