Funnel cloud: Difference between revisions

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A funnel cloud. This funnel cloud never reached the ground; therefore it didn’t become a tornado.

By definition, a funnel cloud is any rotating column of air extending from the base of a cloud (usually a cumulonimbus or towering cumulus cloud) but not reaching the ground. A funnel cloud is usually visible as a cone-shaped or needlelike protuberance from the main cloud base.

Funnel clouds frequently form in association with supercell thunderstorms, and these funnel clouds are a threat to become tornadoes if their circulation reaches the ground. Sometimes the visible funnel cloud may not reach all the way to the ground, but if a debris swirl is present on the ground underneath the funnel, a tornado exists. Conversely, some tornadoes may appear only as a debris swirl, with no obvious funnel extending below the rotating cloud base. If a funnel cloud makes ground-level contact over water, it is termed a waterspout. Waterspouts become tornadoes if they move over ground, and likewise tornadoes become waterspouts if they move from land to water.

It is important to remember that even if a ground circulation is not visible from your vantage point, that does not mean that one does not exist.

Cold Core Funnel Clouds

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Almost all funnel clouds along the Pacific Coast are known as "cold core funnels" or "cold air funnels". They are different from typical devastating Midwest tornadoes in that these are spawned from non-severe storms and can occur when you get a tightly wrapped rush of rising air that can appear as a funnel. They get their name from the usual pattern when you have a storm bringing much colder air into the higher altitudes -- a common occurrence around here in spring and fall. Cold-core funnels rarely reach the ground, and if they do, are very weak. They are not all *that* rare with well-formed Convergence Zones -- especially in spring and autumn.

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 By definition, a '''funnel cloud''' is any rotating column of air extending from the base of a [[cloud]] (usually a [[cumulonimbus]] or towering [[cumulus]] cloud) but not reaching the ground. A [[funnel]] cloud is usually visible as a cone-shaped or needlelike protuberance from the main cloud base.
-Funnel clouds frequently form in association with [[supercell]] [[thunderstorm]]s, and these funnel clouds are a threat to become [[tornadoes]] if their circulation reaches the ground. Sometimes the visible funnel cloud may not reach all the way to the ground, but if a debris swirl is present on the ground underneath the funnel, a [[tornado]] exists. Conversely, some [[tornado]]es may appear only as a debris swirl, with no obvious funnel extending below the rotating cloud base.
+Funnel clouds frequently form in association with [[supercell]] [[thunderstorm]]s, and these funnel clouds are a threat to become [[tornadoes]] if their circulation reaches the ground. Sometimes the visible funnel cloud may not reach all the way to the ground, but if a debris swirl is present on the ground underneath the funnel, a [[tornado]] exists. Conversely, some [[tornado]]es may appear only as a debris swirl, with no obvious funnel extending below the rotating cloud base. If a funnel cloud makes ground-level contact over water, it is termed a [[waterspout]]. Waterspouts become tornadoes if they move over ground, and likewise tornadoes become waterspouts if they move from land to water.
 It is important to remember that even if a ground circulation is not visible from your vantage point, that does not mean that one does not exist.