Tornado News

This is basically an inkblot test for severe weather watchers

As thunderstorm season begins to ramp up, severe weather watchers are once again making a check of the Storm Prediction Center part of the daily routine. Over time, many of us have thought maybe forecasters there have a fondness for drawing funny shapes with their polygons.

Sure it’s probably mainly just our imaginations, plus the natural oddities of weather system features. But sometimes you wonder. Perhaps the best known was the Sharknado outlook of 2014. There were plenty of hidden images before that one, and there have surely been many since.

It’s something of an inkblot or rorschach test for weather fans. Here are a few of our favorite ones we’ve seen go by in recent years…

With thunderstorms, sometimes it’s tough to tell what’s going to happen

Animals — or sea monsters in the case below — are a favorite of SPC outlook drawers

Sometimes it’s fish, or fish-shaped food

Sometimes it’s a cute googley-eyed duck

Bow to the king

AtmoLife is always taking it next level…

Let’s go back to the animals, or in this case a friendly little dinosaur

It’s not all SPC. And come on, you can’t have a funny weather imagery collection without something from the master.

A new meaning to TAKE COVER!

There are even shapes in dust

Say hello to advisory dolphin

By the looks of this new account, we aren’t the only ones that have noticed this phenomenon

Have one we missed? Let us know. And join us as we decode all the mysterious storm figures in the weeks and months ahead. Like, is that a wedge? Also, our spring tornado outlook is on its way tomorrow!!

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Information lead and forecaster for the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang.

Latest posts by Ian Livingston (see all)

Ian Livingston

Information lead and forecaster for the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang.

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