Rumors of a tornado in Alaska swirled around social media recently, fueled by an impressive video showing a large funnel extending down across the hilly landscape. However, looks can be deceiving. The National Weather Service quickly confirmed that it was a funnel cloud rather than a rare tornado. The cloud didn’t touch the ground, as making contact would have qualified it as a tornado. The funnel cloud was spotted along the Denali Highway in a remote area about 80 miles northeast of Talkeetna. The funnel was visible for about 15 minutes by onlookers, extending from the base of a towering cumulus. According to the National Weather Service, the “parent cloud” that generated the funnel rose about 30,000 feet high and produced one single lightning strike. Tornadoes in the state of Alaska are extremely rare, with only seven tornadoes ever recorded within state boundaries since 1959.
