Portugal lived yesterday a Unusual show who left dozens of bathers and surfers speechless. During Sunday afternoon, just in the middle of heat, a gigantic wave -shaped cloud, a ‘roller cloud’, which advanced silent from the sea to the beach, simulating A true tsunami in heaven.
It is a type of Arcus cloudalso known as Volutus, which is characterized by its tubular form and its horizontal advance at low altitude. He Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the atmosphere (IPMA) explained that its appearance is due to strong thermal contrasts Between surface hot air and cold sea currents, which favor this atmospheric behavior.
The phenomenon was detected around 15:30 h in front of the sea, and reached the coast between the 17:00 and 6:00 p.m.bringing with him Wind bursts that further reinforced real wave impression. According to the media, the formation extended from Póvoa de Varzim to Figueira da Fozcapturing the attention and astonishment of the bathers.
One of the witnesses recorded the deployment from the BUARCOS BEACH (Figueira da Foz). According to the video, the cloud appeared and caused a race to protect from sudden wind.
Meteorological causes
Meteorologists attribute their appearance to a Marine cold air mass that advances under a continental warm air layergenerating the typical “rolling” form of these clouds. No relationship with severe storms, There were no intense rainfall, tornadoes or dangerous phenomena, only one Visual show.
These events become more common with climate changesince the increase in temperatures intensifies these air contrasts. However, they are visually spectacular formations, which do not represent a risk in themselves.
