SHERMAN COUNTY —The cold weather provided the perfect conditions for a rare atmospheric optical phenomenon late Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Goodland shared a photo of light pillars seen from their headquarters at 920 Armory Road.
"It's gotten pretty cold, but the nice treat was worth it. Light pillars coming from town with our sign in the foreground."
Light pillars form when a bright light source reflects off the surfaces of millions of falling ice crystals associated with thin, high-level clouds, for example, cirrostratus clouds, according to the National Weather Service.
Overnight temperatures Thursday in northwest Kansas were in the single digits with wind chill temperatures well below zero. The forecast calls for Friday night low temperature around -8 in Goodland.