BEYOND THE FORECAST: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FUNNEL CLOUD AND A TORNADO?

You may think a funnel cloud and a tornado are one and the same, but they actually mean different things. A funnel cloud is a tight rotating column of air (that is often the start of a tornado) that never reaches the ground. Storms can produce funnel clouds, but never produce a tornado. A tornado on the other hand, is when that rotating column of air, and that tight circulation reaches the ground - and it then can cause damage. So a funnel cloud stays up in the sky, and it doesn't become a tornado until it actually reaches the ground.