Evansville-a strange and difficult weather phenomenon could pop up this weekend in the Evansville area.
According to an advice from the National Weather Service Friday afternoon, residents of Tri-State “cold air-bonding clouds” could see-tornado-looking twirls that form in the air when the basic temperature is considerably warmer than the conditions in the atmosphere.
“Cold air icy clouds will rarely reach the land, and if they do, they will usually cause very small damage,” said the advice. “If a report is received from a cold air -eagle court that reaches the land and causes (damage), a tornado -warning will be issued as usual.”
An NWS report compared the potential of the funnels with an EF-0-Tornado: the weakest possible Twister. However, they are usually 'harmless'.
A cold air eagle court, a weak tornado that can arise when the soil temperatures are considerably warmer than the circumstances in the atmosphere, is seen in Kentucky in 2003.
They “form under showers or weak thunderstorms when the air is up,” says the NWS. “The funnel are most common in the fall and spring when the sun is able to warm up the lower levels of the atmosphere, so that convection on bubbles and showers forms, but the temperatures of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 feet above the ground are quite cold.”
The possibility of their arrival will linger most of the weekend, because several rounds of rain and storms are considerably cooler again. Evansville has the entire weekend between a chance of 50% and 80%, but runs a lower risk of everything that is larger than isolated storms.
The greatest opportunities for tough weather stay south, to the west and east of the city, although the chance of strong storms continues to exist here. Some areas can see harmful wind and large hail.
After a week of highlights in the 70s and 80s, the temperatures will stumble up to 60 this weekend. That contrast will feed the circumstances for the cold-air funers.
“They are also difficult to detect on Radar because they are very weak,” the NWS wrote in the report. “Spotter and public reports are essential when funnels are in the cold air in the area.”
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: what are Cold Air Funnels?
