The dazzling pink sky seen over Birmingham in Storm Goretti’s snowfall

As rare snow fell over much of the West Midlands on Thursday evening, residents were amazed by an unexpected sight: a mysterious pink glow lighting up the sky.

There has been a lot of speculation on social media about whether this phenomenon is an unusual sunset. Or did the Northern Lights appear suddenly?

The truth was much more real.

The club confirmed that the source of the display was simple LED lights being used on the pitch at Birmingham City’s football stadium.

The skies across the city turned a dazzling pink with other images also shared from Hednesford in Staffordshire.

BBC meteorologist Simon King said cloud cover and falling snow meant the sky could be more reflective, and Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s Stadium was shown as a source of light.

Hednesford Town Football Club posted on social media that a similar phenomenon, earlier in the week, was caused by LED pitch lights “which helped the grass grow and recover, leaving us ready to chase the three points, not the aurora borealis”.

“Weather conditions with low clouds and even during snowfall can make the sky a little more reflective and show the glare of streetlights, buildings and even the purple lights from football fields,” the meteorologist added.