Weather Words: Alpenglow

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If you have ever been lucky enough to spend some time near the mountains, more specifically, soaking in a sunrise or sunset near the mountains, you may have been lucky enough to witness Alpenglow.

Alpenglow comes from the German words Alpen (alps) and glühen (to glow). A phenomenon that most definitely occurs in the Alps, as well as other dramatic mountains such as the Rockies and Sierras, this occurs when the sunlight lights up only the mountain peaks in beautiful glowing tones of red and pink.

When pollutants are present in the atmosphere, such as particulate matter from wildfires, the colors may seem even more dramatic.

So next time you are near the mountains during sunrise or sunset, don’t forget to look up, alpenglow might be lighting up the mountainside and you won’t want to miss it.

J​ennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.