White tornado forms near Scottsbluff Nebraska - 18 May, 2014

A beautiful white tornado forms in grasslands in the sweeping hills of Nebraska, around 15 miles north of Scottsbluff.

The forecast was very marginal this day, and the tornadic storm formed outside of the predicted areas issued by the SPC.

The rancher (land owner) confirmed no structures, pets, or livestock were on the land. He enjoyed watching the storm with storm chaser Daniel Shaw.

[jewlzanne]

Brilliant was watching it on the live stream last night, it was 2 in the morning in the UK. It was an amazing funnel!

[rbanister]

You DEFINITELY take some great shots of these CLOUDS. Love the TimeLapse you do on these, too... GOOD JOB, Aussie m8

[chshrkt]

Wonderful pictures and perfect angle.
Terrific work as always Daniel.

[derekbaker]

Gorgeous time lapse sequences Daniel ! A nice pace to them, where the motion is easily seen, but not so fast as to prevent the viewer from enjoying the details. Great positioning and lighting!

[gingerelvira]

I always wanted to know what the ground looks like after it passes through an open area.

[daverlzdd]

that first timelapse near the end at 3:11! WOWOWOWOW

[dlr]

All tornadoes are white at least at first.  This is because the funnel is composed of water vapor condensing out due to the lower pressure from the updraft.  Tornadoes which appear dark are either due to dirt and debris drawn into the circulation around the funnel, or due to where the observer is seeing the tornado.  If the background behind the tornado is light, the tornado will appear dark.

[Fahrenheit]

You can definitely see the weak tornadic ground circulation starting at the 4:08 mark. May be easier to see because it's sped up.

The dead giveaway that this storm was trying to do something was the horseshoe shape of the base. It's amazing how small the scale was, though. Also notice the smaller funnel above it.

[hondobot]

As always, awesome video! Absolutely amazing!

[Bluethunderboom]

That funnel cloud, it was a Rope Tornado that was trying to form, but obviously, it could be a F0 or F1 Tornado.

[anthonykinney]

Good work mr shaw what state you in tomorrow

[WalterRowland]

you are my hero. Spectacular footage. Stay safe out there.

[ObjectableApparatus]

looks like a landspout to me, nothing tornadic about it.

[tylermontgomery]

I am so much fascinated with huge tornadoes. I think it’s such a blessing if I ever see one since I live here in AZ. If I ever see a 🌪 I would put my hands up and tell GOD, “PLEASE TAKE ME TO DOROTHY AND TOTO.”. 🙏🏽👼😇🌪

[Cinnabunbuns]

Funny part is I remember that storm, I live in Scottsbluff!

[EveryDooDarnDiddlyDay]

White tornado? Better check your Rear Flank Privilege there, mister.

[kittyclimpson]

NOT a tornado; shame on you. Try to dial back on the hyperbole, okay? I get that it had to be reported and warned, which it was, but that funnel was never even close to touching down. I'm from Scottsbluff/Gering, and what you saw is not that unusual there, LP supercell and all.