Eyes on the sky: Why this NW weekend is perfect for rainbows

Keep your eyes on the skies over this upcoming weekend. You might just catch something magical: rainbows.

The Northwest region gets more rainbows in the spring than in any other season. And this weekend is likely to be colorful.

That's because the conditions are just right, according to Q13 meteorologist M.J. McDermott.

"Our weekend is going to feature showers with sunbreaks, and with weather like this, sunlight gets bent through raindrops, acting like a prism," she explains.

Rainbow spotting tip: Look for rainbows in the opposite direction from the sun. And if you're lucky enough to see a double rainbow, notice how the primary rainbow is brighter than the secondary one.

You may remember that revelation from Paul "Bear" Vasquez, who passed away last year. Vasquez became an internet sensation when he spotted a double rainbow "all the way across the sky" in 2010 and burst into tears of joy at the sight of it.

Plus, McDermott says the color bands are flipped on a double rainbow. The primary rainbow has red on the outside and purple on the inside; however, red appears on the inside and purple on the outside of the secondary rainbow.

McDermott could not — or would not — confirm whether a double rainbow indicates two pots of gold.