Canada's top spots to see a rainbow
Looking for a rainbow? Here are the top spots in Canada to find one.
Niagara Falls, Ontario
(Yasmin Ali)
The mist of the Canadian and American falls makes Niagara Falls a prime spot to catch a rainbow. And the rest of the view is worth taking in as well. Just ask the 12 million people that visit the Canadian side each year.
Jasper National Park, Alberta
A rainbow at Athabasca Falls in Japser National Park. (Paula MacPherson)
Jasper National Park in Alberta is home to some of Canada’s most spectacular scenery - with over 11,000 square kilometres of wilderness, wildlife, and waterways, all within the Canadian Rockies. Its rivers and streams are some of the best places in the country to spot a rainbow.
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
There’s a reason Prince Rupert, B.C. is nicknamed the City of Rainbows. As Canada's rainiest and cloudiest city, its unique environment makes it a prime location for rainbows to develop.
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So what exactly is a rainbow, anyway?
"A rainbow is Mother Nature's prism," explains Weather Network meteorologist Kevin MacKay.
"When you are between the sun and the rain, that's when the action happens. You need the sun to be low enough in the sky to get a good enough refraction angle through those raindrops. The light spectrum starts to spread, and that's when you get the curvature."
In reality, a rainbow is round, and you can see just as much above the ground as you would see below.
