Changed Face of a Tornado

Video frame captures 1-3 show a wedge-type tornado on the ground between the towns of Ida Grove (to the west) and Arthur (to the east) in western Iowa. Frames 1-3 were captured from around 8:21-8:25 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011 from our chase vehicle northbound on County Highway M31, about five miles south of Arthur. By frame #4--about three miles later--the twister had morphed into a stovepipe shape. Frames 4-6 show the tornado just west of Arthur (city lights) as seen from about one mile south of town and five minutes after the first frame. These video frame captures were made visible from flashes of lightning.