Iowa Tornado Photo... Or Not?

UPDATE:This blogger says that this video is of the same cloud system. Here is a link to the paper that broadcast the photo originally, and to an interview with the photographer. Also check out all the comments below from readers!

ORIGINAL POST:

The Associated Press submitted this photo earlier this week, and I have a little mythbusting to do on its description.

First, I found their term "tornado funnel cloud" strange. But according to the Tornado FAQ "a tornado is a violently rotating column of air, pendant from a cumuliform cloud or underneath a cumuliform cloud, and often (but not always) visible as a funnel cloud.." Still, I would prefer they not use both terms at the same time.

Second, I'm not even sure if we're seeing a tornado here, as opposed to a rotating mesocyclone [WikiPedia] with a wall cloud (with the tornado perhaps off-camera, or hidden, not necessarily out of existence). As we know, people tend to jump to conclusions with these types of vertical clouds. I wish we could see what was beyond those grain bins. I couldn't find other photos or views of this particular storm, but if you can, leave me a Comment below.

Comments (19): hunter grace:

how did you get that awsome picture of that funnel cloud?

Posted by hunter grace | September 28, 2009 10:09 AM Lou:

My son was sent this picture saying it was the tornado that hit the Boys Scout camp in Little Sioux. It is a cool picture but I would like to see a couple more, most people would have snapped more than one picture.

Posted by Lou | June 19, 2008 4:43 PM Lisa Beal:

Jesse- You are quite correct. The SPC storm reports include erroneous reports, omit verifiably real ones, etc. "Don't believe all you read" applies.

Likewise, even a real photo is mislabeled, contrast-enhanced (possibly by AP--- I was NOT accusing the original photographer of doctoring the image), etc. Do not believe all you see. As for AP or Reuters posting doctored images, this is unavoidable.

Posted by Lisa Beal | June 19, 2008 1:11 PM Lisa Beal:

Check http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/080610_rpts.html and you will see NO TORNADO report in Iowa for 6/10. I would find it very difficult to believe that 'a large tornado' to go unreported in Iowa, particularly after the Parkersburg tornado.

While an impressive storm updraft is depicted in the photo, this is not a tornado. As Hilda points out, I'd like to see a series of photos to clarify what is going on. Bad AP, Naughty AP! (BTW, the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv95O5YUYmU does not show the contested image above).

FROM JESSE: Thanks for the clarifications, although I would add that I have seen some situations where actual tornadoes don't show up on the SPC reports.

Posted by Lisa Beal | June 19, 2008 10:15 AM Kristina:

Hello, I'm new to the board - really neat pictures! Does anyone out there have an idea on where I could get real-time information the extent of the midwest floods? Thanks!

Posted by Kristina | June 18, 2008 12:22 PM Hilda:

I do believe that the picture of the buildings, flag,trees, and the railroad corssing are real, and the tornado, cyclone, meso whatever is also real - but I strongly believe that these items are two separate pieces. No offense intended to Lori Mehmen but this is either a great photoshop/chop or it is a freak of nature that she was able to witness. I wish she had more pictures of this, but at the same time I wouldn't want her to risk her life taking more just to prove a point. Either way, it is a remarkable picture and obviously has caused much discussion.

Posted by Hilda | June 17, 2008 1:47 PM auninda:

i just saw this picture in my cousin's facebook profile

Posted by auninda | June 17, 2008 9:18 AM jeff:

I agree, weird terminology for whatever this event is. I am originally from that area and it is well known that a tornado did indeed touch down in the area...but the picture...amazing as it is, clearly does not show a tornado, but it is probably behind the grain bins.

Posted by jeff | June 16, 2008 2:50 PM Betsy:

The photo is not fake or photoshopped

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv95O5YUYmU

Posted by Betsy | June 16, 2008 2:31 PM Lisa Beal:

The photo looks fake to me. Look at the lighting in the foreground and background. Looks like a classic 'glue-nado': a Photoshop blend of two unrelated images. What's more the image better represents a mesocyclone feature with either a gust front or precip core underneath. Definitely NOT a tornado, IMHO.

(Side note: I've been chasing storms since 1996 as seen stuff similar to this in outflow dominant storms, not tornadic storms).

Posted by Lisa Beal | June 15, 2008 7:28 PM Jon:

dude..that's a fake...FAKE FAKE!! photoshop at it's best.. look how the buildings dissapear in teh mesocyclone..which i might add...DOES NOT TOUCH GROUND!

FROM JESSE: While this photo may not show a tornado, a photoshopped photo has only once in history made it past the editors of the Associated Press or Reuters (that would be Reuters). :)

Posted by Jon | June 15, 2008 5:43 PM eastern lady:

Altho the photo is interesting, what seems more interesting to me is that there does not seem to be any wind? air current enough to make the trees move......am I missing something. I do note that the flag is straight out, but the trees don't look to be battered. hmm

I don't live in a tornado zone, nova scotia, but to me it looks like it may not be a real pic of a tornado.....

Posted by eastern lady | June 15, 2008 2:34 PM Just me:

IF, and I'm not sure I believe that it was a tornado, where is the debris?

Posted by Just me | June 15, 2008 2:25 PM Amy:

I see in the photo that the American flag is blowing hard. Why aren't the trees affected by this wind if it is a tornado?

Posted by Amy | June 15, 2008 10:37 AM Gina Thompson:

I've never seen anything like this!!! ..........and hope I never do! Regardless of what it may be, I'd be heading for shelter!!

Posted by Gina Thompson | June 15, 2008 2:45 AM Peter:

Am I the only one to think that this photo looks fake?

Posted by Peter | June 15, 2008 1:02 AM Ryan:

From looking at this picture, I think this is only a downdraft.

Posted by Ryan | June 14, 2008 10:19 PM Ryan:

Looks much like the Delaware non-waterspout from last month! Although clearly we can see the rotation in the cloud above. The suspect tornado appears to be very smooth like the Delaware thing.

I suspect this is not a tornado or funnel. Perhaps the tornado or funnel is off camera.

Posted by Ryan | June 14, 2008 9:00 PM Roger Kidd:

Been spotting and chasing storms for years.. to me that looks like a classic rotating meso.. not a twister :) but I could be wrong

Posted by Roger Kidd | June 14, 2008 8:50 PM