By Sarah Elmquist Squires, Managing Editor
A funnel cloud near the Central Wyoming Regional Airport garnered lots of interest Friday morning, including National Weather Service officials, who said they could see the dark funnel developing from their Riverton office.
NWS officials called the formation a “cold air funnel, associated with severe weather,” rather than a tornado. Cold air funnels are small, relatively weak funnels that can develop during severe weather when the air aloft is especially cold, according to NWS. “Cold air funnels are usually harmless, but on rare occasions they can touch down and cause EF-0 level (winds up to 85 mph) tornado damage,” NWS describes.