Why did the skies in Shark Bay, Western Australia turn red?

A viral video showing deep red skies in Shark Bay, Western Australia, has garnered various reactions from netizens. 

The striking footage, which was featured in Kuya Kim Atienza’s report on “24 Oras," Tuesday, was captured just before Tropical Cyclone Narelle hit Western Australia on March 27. 

In the clip, the sky and surroundings appeared completely red—prompting comparisons online to scenes from horror and science-fiction films, and even raising fears of a bad omen.

Some netizens also questioned whether the video was edited or generated using artificial intelligence.

However, PAGASA weather specialist John Manalo has explained that the striking red sky was caused by a combination of strong winds and iron-rich dust particles. 

“Yung bagyo nakakapag-gather siya ng mga dust particles. Tapos nag-scatter sa hangin 'yung dust particles na 'yun na mayaman sa iron,” Manalo explained. 

When solar radiation interacts with these particles, a phenomenon known as Mie scattering occurs.

“Ito 'yung magkakalat nung light. At dahil dun sa larger size ng particles na 'yun, 'yung mas maikakalat niya ay 'yung longwave radiation na visible sa tao,” he said. 

“‘Yung longwave, 'yun 'yung nasa red, orange sa ROYGBIV, kaya nagiging reddish or orange 'yung kulay kapag nangyayari 'yung ganyang phenomena. So in short, ito ay may halong atmospheric chemistry, optics dahil sa solar radiation and interaction dun sa iron,” he added. 

Per Manalo, the occurrence in Shark Bay is considered a rare phenomenon, as it requires a lot of energy to lift and scatter these iron-rich particles in the atmosphere. 

But could something similar happen in the Philippines? 

According to Manalo, it is possible, though less likely to appear as intensely red as in Australia. 

“May mga lugar din dito sa Pilipinas na mayaman din sa iron pero hindi kasing dami nung andito sa Australia. So may posibilidad, pero hindi ito sing pula nung nangyari sa Australia,” he said. 

“Mahalaga na malaman din natin na 'yung mga scientific na reason kung ba't nangyayari ang isang bagay. At least hindi tayo mag-iisip ng kung anu-ano na baka ito ay senyales na patapos na ang mundo or something like that.”

—Jade Veronique Yap/CDC, GMA News