Heat wave: rare meteorological phenomena observed in Portugal

By&nbspEuronews Lisbon

Published on
01/07/2025 – 2:14 GMT+2

Mainland Portugal is currently facing a heatwave which has encompassed most of mainland western Europe, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius in some regions on the Iberian peninsula, Greece and France.

The heat produced a wide variety of unstable weather phenomena in Portugal, such as freak rain showers, violent thunderstorms and hail. These phenomena were more intense in the interior of the country.

Rolling cloud hits Portuguese beaches

On Sunday, hundreds of sun bathers were surprised by a dense cloud coming out of the ocean and heading towards the beach. The phenomenon, called a roll cloud, hit several beaches along the Portuguese coast in the afternoon.

The images were widely shared on social media.

Roll clouds are a rare meteorological phenomenon, formed from the interaction of air masses of contrasting temperatures and sea breezes. These clouds are tube-shaped and move horizontally. Despite the clear resemblance to a giant wave, thankfully, they have nothing to do with tsunamis.

As the clouds approached, strong winds appeared, taking bathers by surprise.

With temperatures rising further into the week, fears of major forest fires are growing. The National Civil Protection Authority has issued a warning to the population with preventative measures and other recommendations. The communiqué states that the danger of rural fires is Very High to Maximum in the interior of the North and Centre and in the Algarve.