From this view, these look exactly like what they were: two pillars of smoke rising from Kansas fields toward a dark cloud base. A wide-angle perspective reveals the base to belong to a classically sculpted supercell, leading to a scene that might be confused as tornadic by an inexperienced, hurried and/or very distant spotter. Don’t laugh; seasoned storm observers have confused smoke plumes under supercellular updrafts for tornadoes on several occasions—most famously in 1984 in western Oklahoma a part of a Nova TV special on NSSL storm chasers.
Perth KS (20 Jul 9) Looking W
37.1713, -97.5105Southern Kansas “Smokenadoes” Zoom
From this view, these look exactly like what they were: two pillars of smoke rising from Kansas fields toward a dark cloud base. A wide-angle perspective reveals the base to belong to a classically sculpted supercell, leading to a scene that might be confused as tornadic by an inexperienced, hurried and/or very distant spotter. Don’t laugh; seasoned storm observers have confused smoke plumes under supercellular updrafts for tornadoes on several occasions—most famously in 1984 in western Oklahoma a part of a Nova TV special on NSSL storm chasers.
Perth KS (20 Jul 9) Looking W
37.1713, -97.5105