White Tornadoes

[William Monfredo]

While sorting storm photos, I realized that the majority are white tornadoes. Whatever I'm doing positioning myself each time...I suppose I don't mind. They can make good wall art as Tony mentioned on his web site regarding the Grover, CO - Carpenter WY storm.
The white ones seem, well, more...cheery. Have any?

 

[John Farley]

I have a few, but none anywhere near as good as those. Where were they taken?

 

[William Monfredo]

Thanks for appreciating them. The analogue shots are from Middleburg, OK, left, and Duncan, OK, right, both from May 25, 1997.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Well I generally don't notice color but that Duke tornado was the whitest and one of the best ive seen

 

[William Monfredo]

This tornado seemed so white to me, that I had a 16x24 inch b&w print made, matted and framed: June 12, 2017 Carpenter WY storm.

 

[Dan Robinson]

They are usually lighter gray or white when viewed from any directions from near south to near west (front-lit). Whitest when in direct sunlight!

The whitest ones I've seen are Mulvane (in full sunlight, viewed from the southwest):



Dodge City sig tor II, viewed from the south:



Contrast that with the backlit view from the opposite side (due north) at the same time at 10:13 in this video:

Attica, Kansas, viewed from the west-northwest:



On the flip-side, this was my backlit view of the Farnham, Nebraska tornado from due north in 2019:



Compare that to the south/southwest frontlit view from Hank Schyma at the same time:

 

[William Monfredo]

My picture on aluminum of another white tornado near McCook, NE May 17, 2019. I really like the dust cloud at the bottom of the funnel.

 

[Tony Laubach]

I think it goes without saying what my favorite white tornado is... haha

Surprisingly, I don't have a TON of white tornadoes to my count.. never been something I've actively sought out. Sometimes it just happens. Having not traditionally been a 'photographer' first, the angle to which I am from the storm is usually a whatever-the-moment calls for. But I certainly welcome the hell out of those opportunities when they come.

Obviously I have a few more than what's posted here, but these are the more notable ones as of late.



AKRON viewed from immediate south/southeast



CROWELL viewed from southeast



CARPENTER viewed from the south/southeast