Why are some tornadoes white, some black, and others red? How many colors do they come in?
Most tornadoes are either white, black, or gray depending on how light is striking them. Tornadoes often occur on the west side of a thunderstorm in the late afternoon. Viewed from the west, they would look white in the strong sunlight. Viewed from the east, back lit, they would be very dark in color. All manner of greys are possible. Occasionally, a funnel may pass over a dry field and pick up massive amounts of dirt, taking on the color of the dirt, which is red in many parts of Oklahoma. • Some photos show tornadoes that don’t look like they reach the ground. Is it really a tornado if it doesn’t reach the ground? Some tornadoes have circulation that extends to the ground, do damage, but have no visible funnel. If the air feeding into the tornado is warm and dry, there won’t be any moisture condensation to make the funnel visible, but it is still a tornado nonetheless. By the same token, there can be a distinct funnel cloud, but no circulation that extends as far as the ground undern
