[Part 1 of 3] This funnel cloud was growing vertically, with the condensation soon to rise directly off ground several times in a circulation that was tornadic throughout. Funnel clouds and tornadoes, in fact, don’t “touch down”. That’s because the air in them is rising. What happens is that a lowering in pressure, and/or an increase in humidity of the inflow air, causes the bottom of the funnel to condense at lower elevations as the air is rising through it, until the cloud forms right off the ground. An ever-thickening pall of rain made spotting difficult, but continuity helped hugely. There was almost certainly a tornadic circulation at ground level through most of this funnel’s 8 to 10 minute lifetime, despite the only brief ground contacts of condensation. The typical column of dust was absent at this stage. Heavy rain had soaked the ground; and the tornado was too weak to raise a visible cloud of mud. This vortex would become almost completely rain-wrapped for several minutes, yet still reveal itself as tornadic… [Go to Part 2]
8 ENE Belmont KS (16 May 99) Looking W
37.5618, -97.8671