Overview
- Residents reported a vivid pink and purple sky over Birmingham on Thursday night as heavy snow from Storm Goretti moved through the West Midlands.
- Aerial images and local reporting identified Birmingham City FC’s St Andrew’s stadium as the ground source, with pink grow lights used for pitch recovery illuminating the low cloud.
- Met Office experts explained that snow and low cloud scatter shorter wavelengths, allowing red and orange light to dominate and create the pink hue.
- Hednesford Town FC said its own LED pitch lights produced a similar pink glow earlier in the week, reinforcing the stadium-light explanation.
- Storm Goretti triggered broader disruption, including a rare red wind warning for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, power cuts affecting about 60,000 properties, rail route closures, and reduced runway operations at Birmingham Airport.