Was it an flying saucer? Was it an alien invasion? No, just a cloudy day in Weed California.

While alleged UFO sightings are common across the United States, this time it wasn't the aliens who came knocking but a fancy cloud. On Wednesday, a cloud the shape of a flying saucer ir a stack of pancakes appeared in the skies of Weed, California.

This particular type of cloud is called a "lenticular cloud" or a "lenny", Washington Post reported. Lennies form in hilly areas with chaotic wind-patterns.

In Weed, which is located in the hilly terrain of northern California, such clouds are fairly common, thanks to the nearby volcanic mountain Mount Shashta. The latter is California's fifth highest peak and contributed greatly to the creation of 'Lennies' in Weed.

Similar clouds are regularly seen in California. In 2017, lennnies, also called "standing wave clouds" due to their stationary nature, or "UFO clouds", were seen in Cajon Pass in Southern California.

However, while most sightings of such clouds reveal white cloud formations, the lenny seen in Weed recently was flaming orange in colour and looked like a ball of fire in the sky.

Images of the UFO-like cloud soon went viral on social media.

Saucer-like cloud lights up skies in Weed, California https://t.co/UAqeJ4gj9u pic.twitter.com/caYwKAv6Mc

— zeroultra (@zeroultra4) February 14, 2020

"It might be an alien invasion. Or, you might just be in Weed, California." https://t.co/v3l4BGJ3dH #lenticular

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) February 14, 2020

Sounds about right. https://t.co/LJXpAs3Y7Y

— ThreeEggOmelet (@ThreeEggOmelot) February 14, 2020

Hey ⁦@niznoz⁩, this explains the Guggenheim clouds. They’re called “Lennies”. https://t.co/mnHu1OryfI

— Catherine Aman (@catherine_aman) February 14, 2020