Bizarre ‘flying omelette’ cloud rolls over NSW

An avid cloud watcher was holidaying on the NSW south coast when he spotted an unusual formation resembling a fluffy breakfast omelette.

Stunning footage of a rolling cloud that resembles a giant omelette has captivated viewers online.

Cloud enthusiast Damien Knox had been on holiday in Gerroa, 130km south of Sydney, when he filmed the unusual formation.

The 43-year-old business owner, from the Blue Mountains, said he had never seen anything like it in his entire life — and decided to record the majestic scene to show his friends and family back home.

Damien Knox photographed the mesmerising cloud while on holiday in Gerroa.

Damien set his camera up to capture a time lapse of the cloud rolling in from the ocean.

The entire video shows the formation moving towards him over a five-minute period.

The footage attracted hundreds of likes and comments from people captivated by the unique cloud coverage.

Viewers offered their interpretations of the cloud, comparing it to a wave, a dragon and a flying omelette.

The slim band of cloud rolled over the ocean.

People compared it to a wave or an omelette.

Damien said he and his family had been sitting on the back deck of their holiday home when they noticed the cloud come in.

“It looked like a big pillow or something. But then it started moving, like rolling. It was amazing to watch,” he said.

“It came in so quick. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life.”

He said the incredible formation was gone as soon as it appeared, dissipating into the atmosphere as soon as it reached land.

“It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I felt really lucky to have witnessed it,” he said.

Damien Knox took the mesmerising footage during a holiday at Gerroa, south of Sydney.

Associate Professor Todd Lane, from The University of Melbourne’s School of Earth Sciences, said the phenomenon was known as a “roll cloud”.

“These clouds form at the crest of an atmospheric wave, which moves in a similar way to a ripple moving across a pond but in the lower part of the atmosphere,” he said.

“On this day, the roll cloud was likely formed by the thunderstorms that were growing offshore that afternoon.”

Assoc Prof Lane said the airflow from thunderstorms, developing along the NSW coast, must have created the perfect conditions for the cloud to form a long distance away and roll in towards Gerroa.

“The air near the surface over the ocean is very humid and the upward winds within the atmospheric wave are able create a cloud, which is what you see here,” he said.