Tsunami-Like Cloud Stretching 150 Km Across The Sky Spotted At A Portugal Beach; Here’s What It Is

Clouds come in fascinating shapes and sizes. Appearing to look soft, pillowy, the natural phenomenon often brings a childlike gusto of wonder. For beachgoers in Portugal, it did the opposite. It brought panic. You see, it wasn’t the stream of customary white clouds. Rather, a grey cloud that resembled a giant wave stretched across 150 km. Many feared the worst, assuming it to a tsunami, but to put water over their troubles, it was just a rare roll cloud. Here’s more.

Portgual Beachgoers Frightened To See Massive Tsunami-Like Cloud

Massimo, an X user, took to the microblogging platform to share a frightening yet fascinating natural phenomenon. The X user posted a video of a rare roll cloud covering a beach in Portugal. Almost resembling the advent of a tsunami, or a suspiciously long cloud stretching 150 km, the wave-like cloud looked like it would engulf alarmed beachgoers.

This cloud rolled in like an actual tsunami over Portugal.

It’s actually called a roll cloud.pic.twitter.com/0MA27DS4ia

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 30, 2025

While some people panicked and retreated their steps, a few picked out their phones and tried to capture the rare phenomenon. Covering the sun, the roll cloud looked like it was nearing the shore. Coming straight out of an apocalyptic movie, the tsunami-like cloud looked like it wouldn’t spare a soul. But to the relief of everyone, it was a natural phenomenon with heatwave as the culprit. With Europe scorching with temperatures soaring to 46°C heat alerts have been rampant lately.

Also Read: As Heatwaves Scorch Europe, Is It Safe To Travel To France, Spain & Italy?

The Culprit? Heatwave!

And when air masses of different temperatures and sea breezes blend, it forms these rare roll clouds. Portugal has lately been witnessing freaky weather with rain, hail, heatwaves and violent storms. According to a WION report, a few beachgoers observed the beach turn dark as the cloud hovered around. The tsunami-like cloud was seen from Figueira da Foz to Vila do Conde, at a distance of 150 km apart.

Also Read: IMD Issues Yellow Alert For Rain In Delhi, Gurgaon; No Heatwave In The Capital This Week

Netizens were fascinated to witness the video of the roll cloud. But many were equally frightened. One person commented that they’d “run like heck” if they spotted it. Another recollected witnessing it while flying over Argentina years ago. The collective reaction was that of fright, extreme fright. In a lone reaction, a person described it to resemble “the heaven coming down for a kiss”.

Well, what was your first reaction on seeing Portugal’s rare roll cloud?

Cover Image Courtesy: @Rainmaker1973/ X