'Hand of God' lenticular 'fireball' cloud
© MERCURY
A cloud that took the form of a 'hand of God' holding a fireball dominated the skyline above the north coast the Portuguese island of Madeira.

And weather blogger Rogerio Pacheco, 32, could not believe his luck when he looked up at the clouds while commuters made their way to work in the morning rush hour.

The awe-inspiring snaps have since been shared online after Rogerio opted to post them on his blog.

Amazed onlookers have compared the bright orange cloud to everything from a flaming fist of fury to the iconic comet featured in the classic video game Final Fantasy VII.

Rogerio said: "As soon as I saw the sky, I was immediately intrigued and I just had to grab my camera to take photo.

"For me, the cloud looks like an outstretched hand with a fireball.

"I was not the only one who seemed to notice it and I could see other people also looking up at the sky.

"A lot of people seemed pleasantly surprised when they looked up at the sky and saw the cloud."