A massive shelf cloud, dubbed a ‘tsunami cloud,' was spotted looming over the skies of many parts of Nghe An Province and Ha Tinh Province in north-central Vietnam on Friday morning as super typhoon Yagi is roaring ashore.

Yagi, the third storm to strike the East Vietnam Sea this year, is forecast to sweep through China’s Hainan Island before entering the Gulf of Tonkin early on Saturday and making landfall in the Quang Ninh-Nam Dinh region of northern Vietnam, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting. 

Yagi was located about 168 km east-southeast of China’s Hainan at 6:00 am on Friday, packing winds of up to 201 kph and gusts over 220 kph.

The super typhoon is currently within 600 km southeast of Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province.

Social media users from Vinh City, Nghi Loc District, and Dien Chau District in Nghe An Province, as well as from Ha Tinh Province’s Nghi Xuan District, Hong Linh Town, and Can Loc District, shared numerous photos and videos of an extraordinary cloud formation on Vietnamese social platforms on Friday morning.

The images quickly gained attention, with many marveling at the unusual sight.

The massive gray cloud stretched from the sky over the coast off many areas in the two provinces, panicking residents into thinking about the potential damage of the typhoon.

The sky turned dark in some 15 minutes before dumping rain.

A tsunami-shaped cloud darkens the sky over Vinh City in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam, September 6, 2024. Photo: Cau Manh

Ngoc Tu, a resident of Hung Loc Commune in Vinh City, recounted that at around 7:00 am the same day, he went to work when spotting a huge gray cloud in the sky.

“After several weeks of scorching heat, Vinh started experiencing downpours [on Friday]," Tu shared.

“This is the first time I have spotted such a dramatic shelf cloud, so I quickly filmed it."

Many other commuters were surprised to see the scary storm cloud, he added.

A representative of the north-central weather center called the huge cloud a distant storm cloud that often appears before or after a storm.

This is a natural phenomenon, signaling an approaching super typhoon.

The shelf cloud causes downpours and thunderstorms when it rolls in over the sky.

Residents were told not to worry about the storm cloud, and were advised to follow storm prevention and fighting measures to ensure their safety and protect their assets.

Due to the impact of Yagi, Vinh City was hit by heavy rain, paired with powerful winds, leading to several trees on some streets to be uprooted on Thursday night.

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