John Wheeler: This is cold hopper season – InForum

FARGO – The region of the United States from North Dakota eastward to Michigan has more cold core funnel clouds than anywhere else in the United States. Cold core funnels, commonly called “cold air funnels”, are condensation funnels that form in and around weak convective showers. Because the updrafts in these showers are not nearly as intense as those in supercell thunderstorms, less energy is available for rotation. Cold core funnels are generally not dangerous.

Cold core funnels usually don’t reach the ground and if they do, they usually don’t do much damage. Typically, these weak rotations produce wind speeds like that of a dust devil rather than a tornado. However, there may be hybrid situations where a cold core hopper becomes strong as the parent shower becomes stronger. Cold core funnels are usually small and don’t look too scary, but should always be reported to weather media, law enforcement agencies, or the National Weather Service.

John Wheeler is chief meteorologist for WDAY, a position he has held since May 1985. Wheeler grew up in the South, in Louisiana and Alabama, and credits his family’s move to the Midwest as important in developing his fascination with weather and climate. Wheeler lived in Wisconsin and Iowa as a teenager. He attended Iowa State University and received a BS degree in meteorology in 1984. Wheeler worked at WOI-TV in central Iowa for about a year before moving to Fargo and WDAY.