The question is was it a funnel cloud or a scud cloud seen in Jamestown this afternoon during a thunderstorm? The National Weather Service will look into it.

A funnel cloud is a rotating column extending from the clouds down to near the ground.

Scud clouds are commonly mistaken for funnel clouds because of their appearance, hanging low under the base of a storm cloud. Scud clouds do not produce a tornado while a funnel cloud can. Scud are not attached to large-scale storm rotation. They are caused by cold air outflow interacting with warmth ahead of the storm. This causes air to rise and condense. While these clouds often hang low under the base, they don’t indicate anything other than wind blowing out of the storm.

Fentress County was under a severe thunderstorm warning at the time. The weather service said in the warning damaging winds could take place even from a possible tornado. No damage was reported from the storm.

(picture by Jennifer Collins)