25 July 2023 , 18:52
454
0
Tourists visiting the White House were terrified for a brief moment today when a funnel-shaped cloud suddenly appeared in the sky today, on a fairly rainy day.
A group of people immediately pulled out their cell phones to take snapshots of an interestingly-shaped cloud over the white house. The funnel-shaped cloud worried some for a few minutes as it looked like a tornado, but that's a relatively rare phenomenon in the North East.
Weather experts have declared that it's a simple funnel cloud in a tweet. The DC Weather Gang stated, "No major rotation so probably harmless, but still wow." If a funnel cloud touches the ground, it is generally regarded as a tornado and could lift debris and even cause some minor damage.
According to the Met Office, "A funnel cloud is a cone-shaped cloud which extends from the base of a cloud towards the ground without actually reaching the surface. In the UK they often look like thin dangling bits of rope, hanging from the cloud above. But in hotspots such as tornado alley in the USA, funnel clouds can sometimes be thicker and much more intense."
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
Others also tweeted about the weather anomaly:
While it scared some, these clouds are apparently signifiers of worse weather. "Cumulonimbus clouds are almost always the host cloud from which tuba form, meaning that heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning can all be expected," says the Met office. This corresponds with the weather warnings throughout the city today.
Last year, funnel clouds were spotted throughout the UK, leaving residents mystified. People throughout Kent and even in the Scottish countryside took photos and made posts showcasing the weather event. "We didn't know anything about funnel clouds - we thought it was a tornado. It was exciting, as it's not right on your doorstep," said one UK mom.
Clouds loom over DC on an extremely rainy day, including a rare 'funnel cloud' that scared visitors for a minute (AP)Others across the county also saw the weather front moving along the sky. Tracey Armstrong, 52, was at her father-in-law's home in Rainham when she saw a vortex appear from the clouds. This mum-of-two said: "It was amazing, I said to everyone 'Look, quick there's a funnel cloud', and they all turned around to see it."
With the photos coming in from users across Twitter, or X, as it has officially been renamed, there's some speculation from users about the so-called 'cloud.'
One user writes: "That’s the aliens arriving for tomorrow’s hearing at Capital Hill." Another joked, "Looks like an indictment cloud." A third user proclaimed: "Weather danger noodle." Many users replied with memes featuring 'the alien guy' from the History Channel.
In fact, even though a funnel cloud is a somewhat common occurrence in rainy or stormy areas, many of those online looking at the photos and leaving comments on Musk's new fact-free platform agree that the answer is clear: aliens.