What does a funnel cloud look like?
Whenever severe storms roll across southern Colorado, many KRDO viewers submit pictures wanting to know if they’re seeing funnel clouds or tornadoes.
So what exactly makes up a funnel cloud?
One of the first steps you can take in keeping yourself safe in regard to severe weather is the ability to identify the threat. Being able to tell the difference between a harmless scud cloud and a potentially dangerous funnel cloud can be crucial.
Under normal atmospheric conditions, tornadoes and funnel clouds form on some type of frontal boundary — in most cases, that means it’s along a cold front, where a cold air mass is colliding with a warm air mass. This collision produces horizontal rotation, which is then turned upright by strong updrafts provided by the thunderstorm.
Funnel clouds are typically well-defined and smooth on the edges with obvious rotation. As soon as the funnel cloud makes contact with the ground, it is then classified a tornado.
If you aren’t familiar with scud clouds, you may think what you’re seeing is a tornado or a funnel cloud as they can look very similar. In opposite fashion compared to a funnel cloud, scud clouds are associated with the downdraft of a thunderstorm.
It is a portion of the clouds actually being dragged downward toward the surface by either wind or precipitation. Scud clouds are generally not smooth in nature and do not have any rotation, making them considerably less dangerous than a funnel cloud.
You can also submit your photos of storms through the StormTracker 13 app.
