Breathtaking photos show 'purple sunset' gracing Florida skies in wake of Hurricane Dorian

As Hurricane Dorian traveled up the eastern coast of the United States, it left behind at least one pleasant effect in its trail of destruction.

Skies above multiple cities in Florida glowed a lovely purple on Wednesday night as the storm passed by the state, largely sparing it after ravaging the Bahamas for days.

Residents of the sunshine state have since shared mesmerizing photos of the phenomenon on social media.

This type of celestial spectacle happens when low-level clouds, such as the ones caused by Hurricane Dorian, distort ultraviolet light from the sun as it sets, allowing cameras and our eyes to pick up on the typically unseen violet color, according to First Coast News storm expert Steve Fundaro, who compared the effect to "looking through a filter."

"You're seeing a sunset normally, but you have low clouds underneath from the hurricane that are distorting the [normal sunset] colors to make it seem purple," he said.

Amy Pope-Latham, who lives in Jacksonville, Fla., told CNN she sat outside and watched in awe on Wednesday night as the sky transformed from gray to a brilliant, vibrant purple hue.

"The sky was definitely a pleasant reminder that we must have hope and if we only believe in the sun when it's shining we will never get through the night," she told the outlet.