Premium

Watch: Rare roll cloud appears over Portugal beach, leaves the Internet in awe

A rare roll cloud appeared over Portugal’s coast, surprising beachgoers as strong winds hit during an ongoing extreme heatwave.

A roll cloud was spotted on Monday, over the coastline of Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal. (Image source: @volcaholic1/X)

In a breathtaking display of nature, a rare “roll cloud,” a long, tube-shaped cloud formation, was spotted rolling over the coastline of Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal, on Monday. The unusual phenomenon unfolded as the country endured an intense heatwave, adding to a series of strange and unstable weather according to reports by EuroNews.

The now-viral video captures the cloud sweeping in from the ocean, looking like a giant white cylinder slowly approaching the beach. As it nears the shore, strong gusts of wind whip through the area, startling beachgoers.

The video was shared by @volcaholic1 on X with the caption, “Incredible roll cloud in Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal yesterday… ”

Story continues below this ad

The video has garnered 31.2K views on the social media platform.

Watch the video here:

Incredible roll cloud in Póvoa do Varzim, Portugal yesterday…

📹 António Pereira/fb pic.twitter.com/5yS2Mx3Fo7

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) June 30, 2025

Also Read | Man rides bike through flooded streets of Surat; viral video sparks awe and anger

Social media users were amused by the sight. One user commented, “It’s unbelievable that this is a natural phenomenon! It is not that rare as expected.”

Another wrote, “Holy canoly! Is this the storm front that will give Europeans a respite from the heatwave in a few days?”

A third user said, “They used to be very common here in Northern Portugal back when my parents were kids (60s–70s), and then they disappeared until yesterday.”

One Instagram user said, “I’d sit on the beach and imagine it was a gigantic wave!”

Story continues below this ad

According to EuroNews, the roll cloud appeared on multiple beaches along the Portuguese coast. Its appearance coincided with a weekend of extreme heat across mainland Portugal, where violent thunderstorms, hailstorms, and freak rain showers were reported in the country.

The country’s National Civil Protection Authority has issued heatwave alerts and fire warnings, with the risk level for wildfires ranging from “Very High” to “Maximum” in areas like the North, Centre, and Algarve. Authorities have urged residents to follow safety precautions as temperatures are expected to climb further this week.

A roll cloud, also known as volutus, is a rare meteorological phenomenon classified under arcus clouds, a group of low, horizontal cloud formations often linked to thunderstorms. Roll clouds are distinct in their tube-like shape and the way they appear to rotate slowly along a horizontal axis, independent of the parent storm.

These clouds form under specific atmospheric conditions, usually when cold downdrafts from a storm hit the ground and push outward, forcing warmer, moist air upward. As this air rises and cools rapidly, condensation occurs, creating the cloud. Roll clouds can also occur due to coastal breezes, where cooler air from the land pushes beneath warmer sea air, triggering similar cloud formation.

Story continues below this ad

Though dramatic in appearance, roll clouds rarely pose a danger, but they do offer a spectacular visual display of the atmosphere in motion.