Rare cold air funnel provides study opportunity

Rare cold air funnel provides study project <br><br>(Tulsa-AP) -- It looked like the real thing. <br><br>But officials say the cold air funnel that circulated over north Tulsa and later Owasso and

Tuesday, May 2nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Rare cold air funnel provides study project

(Tulsa-AP) -- It looked like the real thing.

But officials say the cold air funnel that circulated over north Tulsa and later Owasso and Collinsville yesterday afternoon wouldn't have done much if it had touched down.

Forecasters say they were thrilled to find a textbook example of the rare phenomena.

Cold air funnels tend to form during light, spring rain showers.

Richard Thompson is a forecaster for the National Storms Prediction Center in Norman. Thompson says forecasters believe cold air funnels probably have something to do with overlapping storm systems.

Thompson says cold air funnels rarely reach the ground and even when they do -- they don't produce the 73 mile per hour winds needed to qualify as a real tornado.