Phony Funnel

What appeared to many nervous onlookers as a funnel cloud in the western sky in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday evening, July 6, 2010, was in actuality a steam plume emanating from the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo. The plume, which formed funnel-like, dissipated and regenerated itself several times, was interacting with humid air around it. The cloud finally dissipated for good around 7:15 PM. This photo looks northwest and was shot from Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids. Several people phoned in funnel cloud reports to area news stations even though the structure never moved from its position and exhibited an obvious lack of rotation.