Funnel Clouds could be visible today and tomorrow – Should you be concerned?

Low pressure to our south and High pressure to our north are battling it out and it looks like the low pressure is going to win out today, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, as clouds and rain move into the area.

While temperatures will be well below normal at the surface, they will be really cold aloft, so with some of the stronger updrafts, the weather service says their is a small chance of what are called cold air funnels. These are funnel clouds that form much higher than the normal funnels we would associate with severe weather.

Cold air funnels form when there is a big difference in temperature from the surface air to the air aloft where the base of the clouds will form. As this air rises at a relatively fast pace, it can cause a vertical rotating air current. When a column of air rotates, the pressure inside it drops, and this drop in pressure can create a localized condition where air will condense into a cloud in the rotation giving us a visual look at the rotating air.

These funnels are nothing to be alarmed of however as these rotating currents happen often all around us during rain and thunderstorms, however we usually just don’t have the right conditions to see the rotation, if no cloud, or funnel, condenses in them. They generally reach down just a short distance, and due to the high bases of the clouds, pose almost no risk of touching the ground.

Showers will decrease in coverage overnight but with that cold air aloft, and even warmer temperatures at the surface tomorrow, we continue to see scattered afternoon showers with that small chance of cold air funnels as well.