Whats the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado? What is a funnel cloud?
In a tornado, a damaging circulation is on the ground — whether or not the cloud is. A true funnel cloud rotates, but has no ground contact or debris, and is not doing damage. If it is a low-hanging cloud with no rotation, it is not a funnel cloud. Caution: tornadoes can happen without a funnel; and what looks like “only” a funnel cloud may be doing damage which can’t be seen from a distance. Some funnels are high-based and may never touch down. Still, since a funnel cloud might quickly become a tornado (remember rotation!), it should be reported by spotters.
