A
funnel cloud becomes a fully fledged tornado when it touches the floor, and Mr Jackson explained they are more common in the UK than people might think.
The sole difference between a
funnel cloud and a tornado is that the latter touches the ground, typically resulting in some property damage, meteorologist Colby Neuman said.
Funnel clouds are formed when powerful storms and thunderstorms meet, causing wind to blow in different directions.
Several
funnel clouds were also sited in Missouri as the storm moved into the state from Nebraska, reported The Associated Press.
Cameras on several spacecraft that have landed on Mars have spotted such whirlwinds, and some images of the Red Planet from orbit show shadows cast by dust-filled
funnel clouds, says Angelo Pio Rossi of the International Research School of Planetary Sciences in Pescara, Italy.
"The average for a tornado is about one every year in Scotland - but
funnel clouds are about three times as frequent."
These fearsome
funnel clouds, usually spawned along a squall line, can wreak widespread destruction with little, if any, warning.
"It also gave us the
funnel clouds, which are associated with very moist air."
Arkadelphia, Sardis and College Station, towns all in the way of the
funnel clouds, received helping hands throughout the state for weeks afterward as the rebuilding picked up.
The affected area was served by two emergency warning sirens; however, because official tornado spotters had not observed
funnel clouds, the sirens were sounded only after the tornado began its destructive course through the town of Plainfield.
Shocked onlookers spotted the
funnel clouds forming in the stormy sky, with many taking to social media to share their disbelief.
She added: "It is more likely that what people are seeing are
funnel clouds which are cone-shaped and extend down from the the base of a cloud."