Spectacular clouds resembling flying saucers have appeared above Mount Teide as Storm Bruna approaches the Canary Islands. Photographer Eduardo García captured the striking formations, known as lenticular clouds, creating a distinctive ‘hat’ above Tenerife’s famous volcano.
Their smooth outlines and layered shapes can make them look almost unreal, but they are a natural result of air moving over mountainous terrain under particular conditions.
The phenomenon is familiar enough in Tenerife to have earned the nickname ‘el sombrero del Teide’ — Teide’s hat.
Lenticular clouds form when moist air flows over a mountain and creates waves in the atmosphere. As the air rises within those waves, it cools. If sufficient moisture is present, water vapour condenses into cloud, producing the distinctive lens-shaped formations.
Sometimes several layers develop above one another, creating the appearance of a stack of discs suspended over the landscape.
One of their most surprising features is that they can appear almost motionless despite strong winds at their altitude. Air continues flowing through the formation while cloud develops and evaporates in different parts of the wave.
Their appearance can indicate strong winds high above the ground. However, lenticular clouds do not automatically mean rain is about to fall, and their presence alone is not a danger warning.
This latest display coincides with Bruna’s approach and the south-westerly airflow associated with the storm. Those conditions can favour mountain-wave clouds, although no specific meteorological analysis has confirmed exactly how the photographed formations developed.
The Canary Islands Government has activated wind alerts affecting Tenerife’s summits and northern and north-western areas from midday today, Saturday 7th November. Residents and visitors should follow official forecasts and restrictions when making plans.
García, from Los Realejos, photographs the island’s landscapes under the name Tenerife Landscapes. His work has previously captured other striking weather scenes, including a rainbow above the Punta de Teno lighthouse.
His latest photographs offer another memorable view of Spain’s highest peak, showing how Tenerife’s volcanic landscape can shape the sky above it.
