'Mushroom cloud' spotted near large US city

A giant cloud had some in Nevada wondering if the US had renewed nuclear tests

People in Las Vegas shared photos of a mushroom-shaped cloud billowing on the horizon on Sunday, with some joking that it reminded them of nuclear tests — one of Sin City’s tourist attractions in the 1950s.

The unnerving sight was apparently made more eerie by rays of the setting sun coloring the cloud various shades of orange.

Thunderclouds can take a mushroom-like shape when an upward current draws them to a higher altitude but at which there is no strong wind to blow them away. The San Diego office of the National Weather Service shared a photo of a similar-looking cloud on Monday, but without the dramatic lighting, as it moved west over California.

The US tested over a thousand nuclear devices at its Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, over four decades. The infamous mushroom clouds were easily visible and became a tourist attraction for the city.

Mushroom Cloud or Nah?