Residents of Quetta were treated to a breathtaking celestial show early Tuesday morning when a rare lenticular cloud appeared above Koh-e-Murdaar, painting the sky in hues reminiscent of a rainbow.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the unusual cloud formation emerged just before sunrise on October 28, 2025, and lasted for nearly 20 minutes before dispersing. The phenomenon was visible in the city’s eastern range and quickly became the talk of social media, with photos and videos circulating widely.
PMD spokesperson Anjum Nazir Zaigham explained that lenticular clouds form when stable, moist air flows over hills or mountains, producing smooth, lens-shaped waves in the sky. “When these air currents encounter an obstacle like a mountain ridge, the moisture condenses into these distinctive formations,” he said. “They often appear over foggy hilltops and dissolve rapidly into vapors.”
While some online users speculated that the spectacle was linked to aircraft activity—mistaking it for a contrail, which is a condensation trail left by planes—the PMD clarified that the event was entirely natural.
Lenticular clouds are rarely seen in Pakistan and are more common in mountainous regions with strong wind patterns. Their striking, almost “spacecraft-like” appearance has often been mistaken for UFO sightings around the world.
For many in Quetta, Tuesday’s fleeting display was a reminder of nature’s ability to surprise—and to turn an ordinary dawn into something extraordinary.
