Not What It Seems

What looked like a descending funnel cloud alongside Grain Lane at the entrance of Rydell Chevrolet in Center Point, Iowa on Friday, June 18, 2010 was actually just an odd-looking scud cloud. I had initially set up a storm-spotting position at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church in Marion, 10 miles to the southeast. After learning of "better" storm potential in the Center Point area, I engaged in a "mini" chase north and ended up at the car dealership south of town. Standing just outside my car amid the flashes of lightning and the crashes of thunder, I watched this curious looking cloud with great interest until I was finally convinced it was only scud. There was no visible rotation above it and the structure eventually began to dramatically bow out and break up. This view looks northeast at 5:45 PM. The scud cloud moved from left to right in this image.