It’s actually what is known as a  sun halo or sometimes called an  icebow.

It’s created when light is  reflected and  refracted by the  ice crystals in the clouds.

The light splits up into different colors forming a ring around the sun.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA

1100 AM EDT FRI MAY 10 2013

…PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY RESULTS INDICATE AN EF0 TORNADO OCCURRED

IN STOUGHTON MA THURSDAY, May 9th…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TAUNTON MA CONDUCTED A STORM

SURVEY THIS MORNING IN STOUGHTON MA IN NORFOLK COUNTY. RESULTS OF

THE SURVEY INDICATE A HIGH END EF0 TORNADO MOVED THROUGH STOUGHTON

MA ON WASHINGTON STREET THURSDAY AFTERNOON APPROXIMATELY 433 PM.

ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE AN EF0 TORNADO HAS WIND SPEEDS THAT

RANGE FROM 65 TO 85 MPH. MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS WILL BE ISSUED BY

EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE…WHICH CAN BE FOUND AT

WEATHER.GOV/BOX.

$$

NOCERA

Here’s amateur video of a funnel cloud in Stoughton, from Thursday.

Infographic: Tornado safety

So, if a tornado approaches, where is the best place to hide? The answer depends on where you are, but generally, if you are in a building, the lower you are and farther away from windows, the better. This means getting in a basement if you have one. Otherwise, an interior room, bathroom, or closet is best.

Ray Harris of Springfield used to live in Florida, and has had to deal with many tornado warnings.

“They gave you warnings, told you to stay in a safe place with no windows, boarded up or whatever you have to do, keep water, things like that,” Harris said.

Once you have found a safe location, you should crouch down on your knees and cover the back of your head with your hands and cover your body with a blanket or a mattress.

If you’re in a mobile home, in a car, or outside, head for sturdy shelter. If none is available, head for somewhere low, like a ditch.

Once a tornado passes, watch out for debris, glass, and other hazards, and remember the 22News storm team will keep you informed ahead of any severe weather.

The  safest place to be in a thunderstorm is inside a sturdy building that is enclosed by walls and covered by a ceiling. Once inside during a thunderstorm, the  National Weather Service recommends avoiding contact with corded phones, electrical equipment, or any type of plumbing.

You are also best staying away from windows, doorways, and porches.

Being outside, particularly in an open space like a golf course, puts you at increased risk of a lightning strike during a storm. Tony Strycharz of Oak Ridge Golf Club in Feeding Hills told 22News that they have been fortunate not to have had a human lightning strike incident.

“We’ve been lucky that it’s never hit a person, but we have got some trees that have been hit with lightning and they’ve split down the middle, so we had to clean that up, which wasn’t fun,” Strycharz said.

At Oak Ridge, they sound a horn and check that all golfers are inside during a thunderstorm.

If you’re stuck outside with no place to shelter, you want to get low to the ground and avoid being near tall objects like trees, which are more likely to be struck.

When not in a building you are most likely safe from lightning in a enclosed car. Just don’t lean on the doors as the car’s metal, not the rubber tires, are what protects you from the electricity.

A “watch” is more of a caution that severe weather could potentially come within the next few hours.  A watch for tornadoes or severe thunderstorms means you should have a weather safety plan in mind should the weather get worse.

Keeping an eye on 22News on air, online, or on social media is a good way to be aware of bad weather. Anthony Gragowski of Springfield says that he keeps on top of the situation during severe weather.

“We do kind of have a family plan and we also rely on other family members as well. But I’m usually into social media, so I pay attention to all the warnings and alerts and watches as well,” Gragowski said.

If a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado warning is issued for your area, then conditions are much more serious. A “ warning” means dangerous weather is imminent or already occurring, and you should head inside, away from windows immediately.

For a thunderstorm to be severe, it must contain either hail of at least one inch in diameter or wind gusts over 58 mph.

Of course this spring and summer, the  22News Storm Team will keep you safe and let you know of any watches or warnings.

While we don’t anticipate severe weather here in western Massachusetts in the near future, it’s worth keeping an eye to the Midwest to follow the potentially dangerous storms they could see there.

SPC: Severe Risk for Wednesday April 17th, 2013