These images show a neat row of phallic-shaped clouds in the sky that were soon being widely shared on social media.

The cloud formation was spotted in the Brazilian municipalities of Santos, Guaruja and Bertioga, all located in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, between 9am and 10am on 14th October.

According to the news site G1, residents were surprised to look up and see the neat row of elongated clouds in the sky, which a local meteorologist said were stratus clouds, low-level layers with a uniform grey or white colour.

Santos resident Raul Guimaraes, 28, who was working in the neighbourhood of Radio Clube when he noticed the phenomenon, said. “I look up at the sky a lot, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen clouds like this.”

He shared images of the cloud formation on social media, adding that they “resonated a lot” with Brazilian netizens.

Franco Cassol, meteorologist for the Civil Defence of Santos, said the cloud formation appeared unusual due to its perfect layout, but that stratus clouds are “normal”.

Cassol added: “We can understand that, in the atmosphere, we also have waves just like in the sea, but we don’t see the air, which is transparent. Often in the atmosphere, gravity waves occur. Clouds formed in this way have this shape, like blocks of clouds. It’s normal.”

According to the meteorologist, this type of cloud does not impact the weather or cause rain.

Cassol said: “This type of cloud is called a stratus, a low cloud. Although is appears unusual, it does not have much bearing on the weather.”