'Doomsday' Shelf Cloud Appears in Haridwar in Viral Video, Here's How it is Formed

A video which is currently doing rounds on social media shows the formation of spectacular clouds amid monsoon in Haridwar. This meteorological phenomenon is referred to as a ‘shelf cloud.’ For those who don’t know, a shelf cloud, also referred to as the ‘Arcus cloud’, is a low, horizontal cloud formation. It is distinguished by a distinct solid line of clouds. The horizontal rotation is what adds to the striking visual appeal. The video has been uploaded on Twitter by user named ‘Anindya Singh’ as he claimed that it was shared to him by a friend. However, Network18 cannot verify the authenticity of the video.

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As stunning as the video may appear, it has shocked many people online, making them even more curious about the formation of such a structure. The video shows clouds as a towering wall, close to how a snow-capped mountain would appear. In the video, people can be seen walking on the road as the cloud forms against it.

Here, have a look at the viral video:

Since being uploaded, the video has gathered 42.5K views.

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The Weather Zone explains that shelf cloud is a type of Arcus cloud and it is characterised by wedge shape formation. It extends horizontally below the base cloud. Shelf clouds usually appear on the leading edge of a storm.

They are formed when cold and dense air is pushed by the wind into a warmer air mass. This happens during a thunderstorm’s downdraft, when the cold air rushes downwards and spreads out to form a powerful gust front.