The formation of a roll cloud along the beaches of central mainland Portugal last Sunday captured attention nationwide. International media also reported on the “rare roll cloud” that astonished “beachgoers.”
The phenomenon occurred on Sunday afternoon, with the clouds “forming over the sea around 3:30 PM” and approaching the Portuguese coast between Peniche and Póvoa de Varzim later that day.
In neighboring Spain, El País shared one of several videos of the phenomenon, filmed in Ovar, in the district of Aveiro, stating that a “giant cloud surprised hundreds of beachgoers in Portugal.”
In France, the news agency France-Presse (AFP) described the roll cloud as a “meteorological phenomenon as rare as it is powerless.”
The British The Independent noted that the “rare meteorological phenomenon struck beaches in Portugal during a heat wave” and that “beachgoers were shocked to see a roll cloud emerging from the ocean towards the shore.” The BBC spoke to their meteorologist, Sarah Keith-Lucas, who highlighted “a spectacular example of a roll cloud.”
“It’s a type of arc cloud that can form near a strong storm. The cold, moist air coming from the ocean meets the warm, dry air over land. This rapid condensation, combined with air flowing in different directions above and below the cloud, shapes it into its distinctive cigar-like form, most commonly seen near the coast,” she explained.
The American news agency The Associated Press (AP) emphasized that “Portugal, like much of Europe, has been experiencing a heat wave in recent days, but another rare meteorological phenomenon also affected many beachgoers trying to cope with the high temperatures by the sea.”
The Washington Post interviewed a climate sciences professor from Imperial College London. “These clouds are spectacular. They seem enormous, as if they continue forever, but they look more intimidating than they actually are,” said Paulo Cappi. Fox News highlighted that “a rare meteorological phenomenon occurred in Portugal, with tourists and locals witnessing a unique cloud in the sky,” noting that “temperatures in Portugal exceeded 42ºC with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hail.”
Clouds formed at 3:30 PM and approached the coast hours later
In response to Notícias ao Minuto, IPMA confirmed that the clouds seen on Sunday afternoon along the Portuguese coast “correspond to the ‘volutus species’ (in Latin), in English ‘roll clouds,’ and in Portuguese can be referred to as roll clouds.”
“These clouds are relatively rare and were only introduced to the World Meteorological Organization’s cloud atlas in the last revision of 2017. The clouds have a tubular or roll shape, form around a horizontal axis, and are typically associated with the altocumulus or stratocumulus cloud genres,” explained IPMA.
On that Sunday, the clouds “formed over the sea around 3:30 PM, moving towards the western mainland coast between Peniche and Póvoa de Varzim approximately between 5 and 6 PM local time.”
The clouds “formed over the sea around 3:30 PM” and approached the western mainland coast between Peniche and Póvoa de Varzim hours later. Here is what is known.
Notícias ao Minuto | 12:18 – 01/07/2025
According to testimonies shared on social media, these clouds were seen at beaches such as Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, Praia da Torreira in Aveiro, Praia do Furadouro in Ovar, and Figueira da Foz.
