A cold-air funnel was seen east of Helena just before 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
Meteorologist Mike Rawlins says cold-air funnels look like a typical funnel cloud, created by very weak shear in the atmosphere.
Cold air funnel clouds are typically very weak and form high up in the sky.
Rawlins says that even though cold-air funnels can connect to the ground, they rarely do, and usually pose little threat to the earth’s surface or structures.
These funnel clouds form in shallow cool air masses when winds change direction throughout the atmosphere, causing the air to spin.
They are created in cool air environments, often behind cold fronts.
NOTE: In the video clip, we sped up the video to show the minor rotation with the funnel and to show its movement above East Helena
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