Rare 'rainbow clouds' caught on camera in Norfolk sky

The colourful display is made up of nacreous clouds which are more commonly seen in polar regions. 

Nacreous clouds appear during very cold and dry weather (Image: Neil Fuller)The clouds are formed in the stratosphere and are illuminated from below by the sun when it is just below the horizon. 

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The phenomenon forms at below -78C and is usually only seen in the UK when the cold air which circulates around polar regions is displaced. 

The clouds were seen in Walpole Highway (Image: Amanda Sedgwick)They are sometimes referred to as 'mother-of-pearl' clouds due to their distinctive luminescent appearance which occurs due to tiny ice particles.

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These smaller particles scatter light in a different way than those in more common clouds. 

'Rainbow clouds' seen in Bradwell (Image: Dean Brennan)The display was photographed by keen onlookers in Norwich, Hopton-on-Sea and Walpole Highway just before 4pm on Thursday.

Dean Brennan, who captured the phenomenon on camera in Bradwell, snapped the images after his daughter spotted the clouds out of her window.

He said "it was amazing".