"Looked Like a UFO": Cape Town Skies Stun Residents as Lenticular Clouds Appear

• Storm Report SA alerted Cape Town residents to saucer-shaped lenticular clouds spotted across the city on 15 October 2026
• The rare weather phenomenon forms when moist air flows over mountains, creating smooth, lens-shaped clouds that resemble flying saucers
• Capetonians shared their own photos from areas including Somerset West and the northern suburbs, sparking excitement online

Cape Town woke up to an unusual sight on 15 October 2026, with dramatic, saucer-shaped clouds hanging over the city and prompting a flood of photos from residents across the region.

Storm Report SA posted about the phenomenon on Facebook, asking whether locals had spotted the clouds and encouraging them to send in their pictures.

What are lenticular clouds?

These distinctive formations are known as lenticular clouds, and while they look anything but ordinary, they are a completely natural atmospheric event. They form when moist air moves over a mountain range, triggering waves in the atmosphere. As the air rises and cools, moisture condenses into smooth, lens-shaped formations that sit almost perfectly still in the sky. Table Mountain's position makes Cape Town a prime location for this kind of display.

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Cape Town residents react to the unusual skies

The post quickly drew responses from across the city, with residents sharing their own photographs from Somerset West, the northern suburbs and Koeberg Road. The images captured towering, swirling formations that many described as looking more like alien spacecraft than clouds.

View the Facebook post below:

Residents shared pictures

Cape Town residents were not short of opinions in the comments on the page:

@Yolande Bouwer shared:

"This morning from northern subs"

@Elizabeth Eshmade asked:

"You sure it is really a cloud?"

@Joanie Meyer said:

"Looked like a UFO over Table Mountain"

@Adri Le Roux shared:

"This morning on my way to the office. Somerset West."

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Source: Briefly News