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Former Hurricane Paine Helps Create Halos Across Colorado Tuesday

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Have you ever heard the old saying "when there's a ring around the sun or moon, rain or snow is coming soon?"

While the phrase is just weather folklore there is actually some truth to it.

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Halo seen around the Moon (credit: CBS)

A halo around the Sun or Moon is often one of the first signs that a weather pattern is changing. It is caused by high, thin cirrus clouds moving in ahead of a developing storm.

Because these clouds are so high in the atmosphere they're made mostly of ice crystals, which reflect and refract incoming light from the Sun or Moon, creating a circle of light that we see as a halo.

Halos are typically 22 degrees away from the sun but can sometimes be 46 degrees away.

While the old saying about a halo indicates rain could fall soon, it doesn't always work out because storm systems can either change course or fall apart before they reach a location.

In the case of today's high level clouds the moisture was streaming in from over 1,000 miles away, originating from the remains of Hurricane Paine.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Paine was a weakening tropical depression off the west coast of Baja California, but it's moisture will continue to impact Colorado in the form of cloud cover for at least the next 24-36 hours.

In fact, parts of western Colorado may even see some rain showers from the thickening clouds by Tuesday night.

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Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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