Why Does Maine Get So Many Double Rainbows?

It’s like magic in the sky. Double rainbows. When you see a single rainbow, it is glorious, but boy when you get a chance to witness two at the same time, my oh my, it really does drop your jaw doesn’t it.  

Not too long ago, I was at Walmart heading back to my car and I looked up and noticed the most outrageous double rainbow I have ever witnessed. Despite the current drought and lack of rain, we have had our fair share of double rainbows.  

But is Maine really the living land of rainbows or are we all just paying more attention to the skies?  

Think of the skies as a delicious meal and Maine skies has the most perfect recipe for rainbow love.  

Why Maine Feels Like the Land of Double Rainbows 

So why or when does a double rainbow take place?

According to Rainbow Symphony,

"When sunlight emerges through the clouds following a rainstorm, that light hits the water drops that are still floating or falling through the sky. Some of the sunlight is reflected right away, but some of it enters the water drop and as it does, it is refracted at the surface. When this light hits the back of the raindrop, it bounces back and once again leaves the raindrop. Only now, the light has been separated into its individual color frequencies. The result is a rainbow of color that exits the raindrop."

They are technically able to happen anywhere but only when the weather is perfect.  

There's even been a triple rainbow spotted in Maine back in 2018, according to The Washington Post. 

One time, I even had a rainbow popping out of my head, well at least it looked like it in the picture. It was actually behind me, but honestly… I didn’t mind one bit. I love rainbows that much.

Maine gets many because of our quick moving rain storms followed by the bright sunshine coming through.

Read More: These 30 Photos of Maine Sunsets Are an Explosion of Color

This takes places mostly in the late afternoons. When you are in a place like the Northeast in a state where there is no pollution or smog and clear blue skies with plenty of unobstructed views, boom, rainbow central.  

But do we get more than other states like Kansas or California. Well, there isn’t any official data that says we get more but what is true is that our location gives us more frequent storm and sun combos which result in double rainbows.