Locals were left stunned after a gaping hole appeared in a cloud over the city.
The phenomenon stopped traffic on Wednesday (12 Nov).
Shocked locals took photos of the ‘hole in the sky’ that quickly went viral on social media.
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The authorities confirmed that the phenomenon was a cavum cloud, also known as a hole punch cloud.
The gap, called a fallstreak hole, occurs when something like a plane disturbs the cloud.
It triggers a chain reaction where the supercooled water droplets freeze into ice crystals that then fall, leaving behind a clear hole and wispy ice streaks as they evaporate.
The rare event took place in Puebla City, located southeast of Mexico City, Mexico.
Many residents compared it to an alien invasion and even signs of climate change, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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One local exclaimed: “We’re screwed…”
“It is not completely natural as an artificial element, such as a plane, is involved, so rather it is a rare event,” added another.
Antonio joked: “Even the sky over Puebla has potholes!”
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A city government spokesperson said: “They form when an airplane flies through a layer of clouds containing very cold water droplets that haven’t yet frozen.
“The plane’s passage causes these droplets to freeze rapidly and fall, leaving a large, circular hole in the cloud.
“Although they may seem unusual, they are a completely natural phenomenon.”
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) said cavum clouds are harmless to the population.
“Their formation requires very specific conditions of temperature, humidity, and altitude, which explains their rarity,” they clarified.
SMN said similar examples have been reported in other Mexican states such as Querétaro, Mexico, and Hidalgo.
They have also been observed in other countries like the US, Australia, and Russia, where atmospheric conditions are favourable for their development.
