Sun Dogs Have A Cold Bite

Anyone who spent a couple of winters in the Midwest knows what this is, it’s called a sundog. It’s most common when it’s very cold, well below zero. Sundogs appear on one or both sides of the sun. Sundogs are made during very cold weather, by ice crystals called diamond dust drifting in the air at low levels. They appear typically on both sides of the sun. It’s most common around sunset. These photos were taken by a former NOAA chief meteorologist here in Missoula, Brenda Brock. She is now working in Des Moines, Iowa. Brenda said it was -8 at the time and the frost line was at least 12-15 deep. You can almost feel how cold it really is looking at these photos.