Joplin supercell photo?

[Todd Friskey]

I have had many of my friends post this picture on the web and Facebook stating this supercell is the one that produced the deadly tornado in Joplin. I was not there to see it since I was at work and eventually hid in a tunnel to protect myself. People ask me all the time if this was the cell. I tell them I do not know, but it guess it could have been. The terrain does looks similar to where the tornado originally touched down west of Joplin. Does anyone on Stormtrack know if they have seen this photo elsewhere on the web other than what is claimed?

 

[CGardner]

Todd I really don't think this is the storm. The storm structure is totally different than the Joplin storm, the Joplin base was rain-free until the tornado got into town. The color of the clouds in the background indicate almost twilight, 7-8 in the evening if this pic was taken on 5/22 The tornado formed a little after 5:30p.m. Also, if this was the supercell after it produced the tornado, combined with the time, the terrain would be more like Table Rock lake, hilly and tons of trees.

I want to believe this was the supercell, but I really don't think it is. More of a High plains storm. Still, really pretty picture.

 

[Elaine Spencer]

I am about 90 percent certain I've seen that picture before and that I saw it long before the Joplin twister. I suspect it's one of those iconic storm pix that gets passed around the net periodically and labeled as being a picture of the most recent big storm.

 

[Lee Smith-Whaley]

From what I saw on Dick McGowans FB, it is one of his pictures that was taken in 2009. He posted a link to the actual image on his Flickr with a watermark on the photo because JoplinExtremeMakeover at one point was trying to pass it off as the Joplin tornado. At some point someone took it, and cropped out the watermark.

 

[Jim Parsons]

I was on the Joplin storm and it wasn't nearly that pretty....Most of it was a large rain wrapped beast.

 

[Mike Smith]

And, the terrain does not look like far SE KS and SW MO.

 

[cdcollura]

Good day all,

Here are a few pictures of the Joplin Supercell early in it's lifecycle.

Above: Near Parsons, KS

Above: Large wall cloud in SW MO near KS border.

 

[Todd Friskey]

Hey thank you everyone for the help! That photo does belong to Dick McGowan. Its too bad someone tried to pass it off as the Joplin tornado. I have co-workers and friends who posted it on their FB as that. I found the pic on his page, link below...

http://stackedplates.blogspot.com/s...-max=2010-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=39