Harmless Halo Causes Stir in Florida
Concentric rings appear around the sun in this view made in downtown Miami at 2:15 p.m. Friday.
Hey, look up. What the heck is that?
A wide, shadowy halo materialized around the sun this afternoon, transforming many South Floridians into instant astronomers, arousing a flood of calls to weather forecasters and inspiring more than a few dark thoughts.
'One guy said, 'It's Armageddon,' '' said Sydelle Engel, a customer at the Flashback Diner in Hallandale Beach, a place that suddenly emptied as word spread and people flocked outside. "Another guy said, 'Good, I don't have to pay my bills.''
Not such a good idea.
Forecasters said the phenomenon, which even they rushed out to view, was caused by an icy layer of clouds 30,000 feet above all those spectators.
''It really started going right after noon,'' said Rusty Pfost, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service's South Florida office. "It is very impressive. It's just a gorgeous, gorgeous halo.''
Any halo around the sun often means rain is on the way, he said, and . . . it is.
Pfost said another batch of showers is expected to descend on South Florida by Sunday.
WINSTON TOWNSEND/Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/news/local/3284810.htm