Fake Tornadoes

Several atmospheric and man-made features may be mistaken for tornadoes. Some of the most common are:

To distinguish between a real tornado or funnel and one of the above look-a-likes, study the feature and be able to answer the following questions:

1. Can I see it clearly?
2. Is the feature attached to a thunderstorm base?
3. Is the feature in the section of the storm where tornadoes/funnels typically develop, i.e., near the updraft?
4. Is there organized rotation present within the feature?
5. Is there debris in the air at the earth's surface?

If your answer to any of these questions is "no," then the feature likely is not a tornado. If you have doubts, continue to observe the feature. Important: Report only what you see, NOT what you think you see.

Following are some examples of atmospheric features that were not tornados.