Canadian Weather Community Forums

I've noticed that we always see rainbows in the exact same location and am wondering why that is?

Thanks.
Sheila akaJW

Just a quick shot in the dark here.

Rainbows occur on the opposite side from the sun. You have to be in a linear plane somewhere in between.
If most of the storms prevail from a particular direction, the odds would be you would see most of the rainbows in one general direction.

As with here, most of the rainbows I see are in a NE direction. Never found the pot of gold yet though.

A rainbow is a common effect with an uncommon number of principles involved. To example the appearance of the rainbow and its secondaries (lighter rainbows above the main one), the effects of dispersion, refraction, and total internal reflection must be considered. In order to see a rainbow, you need rain in front of you and the Sun shining behind you. You must face the rain drops, and your eyes, the centre of the arc of the rainbow, and the Sun must be roughly aligned. If the sun is too high in the horizon, only a small part of the arc is visible. The angle between the observer and the top of the rainbow’s arc makes an angle of 42 degrees with the horizon.

In the case of seeing the rainbow in one spot most of the time, well it's just luck. You don't need a thunderstorm to see a rainbow therefore you have just as much of a chance of seeing one any time of the day as long as the sun is somewhat high in the sky (not too high tough).