Ft. Leonard Wood tornado picture perplexing

[Keith Wilson]

I don't think that it is a smudge, reflection, or anything else other than a part of the storm. It may be a very weak condensation funnel spinning off from the main circulation, but it has the look of a land spout or even a cold air funnel. It's a strange feature, and I just don't see any of the "artificial" effects others are seeing.
Wouldn't just 5 seconds of video be great to help solve this mystery.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Watch video >

How's that for five seconds of video? I'll bet you the guy who shot the still is sitting in the car with the brake lights showing (credit for Danny Neal for finding this). Its definitely the same time/location (or very close to it) and not a trace of that horizontal feature. I'm telling you guys, its a smudge. I've never seen a feature that looks like that on a storm, and I've seen plenty video of horizontal inflow jets, ring vortices, vortex arches, and most of these in real life as well.

 

[Keith Wilson]

Great job finding the video! I have to say that it still doesn't convince me that the feature didn't exist, if only briefly. This vid is from a different location and angle and doesn't keep the whole circulation in view very well.

I do admit that I have never seen anything quite like it before and the most likely explanation is artificial, but when I played with contrast, brightness, shadows, saturation, and color it still has unmistakable features of a tube of condensation.

I wouldn't bet the farm on it either way, though.

 

[jeremy wilson]

The may 10th multi-vortex tornado in Wakita this year could have looked very similar to this tornado if the video had been shot at different angles or zoomed in at certain times. Vortex features going in different directions happen all the time and can appear very strange at certain points in the tornadoes life cycle. I don't find this potential, separate vortex odd at all.

 

[Jason Foster]

I'd say that video doesn't help at all. Between the shooting through the rain dripped window, and the poor angle, being zoomed out and more. I also wonder how "synchronized" it is. We are speaking of a video clip that is all of about 21 seconds long and an event that took at least several minutes to pass through the area.

Skip/Danny. Good find nonetheless and thanks for supplying it.

 

[Dennis Dennison]

I dont know-to me it looks like a small weak funnel that has formed and was being pulled/wrapped around the larger one. But I see debris on the ground next to the smaller tube-so for me two funnels but probably very short lived and definitely interconnected to the main

 

[Rocky Watson]

And the DOS NADOS caper lives on!

 

[Skip Talbot]

Look at the orientation of the tornado in the last video and the original photo. Its definitely the same angle. Of course its not the exact same location, and could very well be a different time give how short the video is.

Watch video >

That video has a much longer chunk of the tornado's life. Not all of it of course, but again there is no secondary funnel. I'd also argue that they probably have recorded the same time as the above photo since they were shot from the same town. This is not a large multivortex tornado with multiple suction vortices spinning up left and right like on 5/10 in OK. That tornado was pretty consistent in its lifespan. I don't see how a second funnel like that could spin up and escape everyone's video except that one shot.

 

[Danny Neal]

I agree with Skip. We have discussed this numerous times over the past week. I just can't see how it is related to the tornado. I have watched and linked 5 or 6 different videos (some of close range) of this tornado and nothing even remotely close resembles that image. If that photo wasn't somehow altered then it had to have been something interfering with the capture. I can't explain it but label me 99.9% sure that is not involved with the tornado. If someone can show me otherwise please have the crow sent to Skip Talbot's house.

 

[Keith Wilson]

I don't see why anybody would alter the photo, but it has been done before. I didn't see the feature in this video either, so maybe it really was "just one of those thangs".
Of course, nothing will disprove it with 100% certainty unless the person that took that photo also had a video camera running at the same time and from the same angle, but I reluctantly agree that it was an anomaly.
That was a good video of the tornado too. Thanks for posting it.

 

[David C Watson]

It almost reminded me of the McConnell AFB tornado in '91 that eventually hit Andover, KS

 

[Scott Nelson]

Interesting thread. Between 1:16 and 1:17 a new spin up seems to shows itself but not sure it that is the same moment in time as the original photo.

It's almost as if a seperate vortice sucks debris from the main funnel rather than making contact with the ground.

 

[Dennis Dennison]

Ya the Andover tornado footage of it as it passes the toll booths shows something similar to the pic. Also at several points on this video, one can see distinct vortices swirling and forming and dissipating around the main circulation.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=956_1215634790

 

[Skip Talbot]

Ah, the plot thickens! I contacted the SGF office about the photo inquiring as to whether they had further information or insights on it. The reply I got was very brief, and had no new information, but did offer an opinion on what it is:

It's hard to say for sure. This is a picture sent to us from someone in Ft.
Wood. To me it looks like a separate vortex.

Don't take that as a confirmation, though. I'm still very skeptical.

 

[Danny Neal]

Ah, the plot thickens! I contacted the SGF office about the photo inquiring as to whether they had further information or insights on it. The reply I got was very brief, and had no information, but did offer an opinion on what it is:



Don't take that as a confirmation, though. I'm still very skeptical.

I still stand by it being an illusion. They are probably in the office hammering it out as much as we are on here.