Fake Tornado Photograph Falsely Attributed to Boy Scout Camp Storm
By J Michael on Jun 14, 2008 in Extreme Weather, Meteorology & the Media, Featured
In the wake of the tragedy that struck Little Sioux, IA on June 11th, a photograph of an ominous looking cloud has been making the rounds through email, falsely attributed to the fatal storm that struck the Little Sioux Boy Scout Camp that evening, killing four and injuring dozens. The image going around the internet, often titled “Little Sioux Boy Scout camp twister” was not in fact a photograph of a tornado - it is not even the storm that struck that Boy Scout camp location on the evening of June 11th, but instead of a non-tornadic storm the night before (June 10, 2008) approximately 220 miles away in the town of Orchard in Mitchell County, Iowa.
This image, along with its inaccurate caption, appears to be going viral - reaching millions of viewers via email forwards, message boards, and websites. While the image now appears on dozens of websites with multiple, conflicting captions, the image first appeared through local media websites in Iowa on the evening of June 10th or the morning of June 11th, prior to the tornadic supercell that struck Little Sioux Iowa later on June 11th. Some of the earliest reports of this image appearing online include a posting on Mason City, Iowa’s Globe Gazette website on the morning of June 11th (direct image link). The image was also posted on Mason City’s KIMT website containing the following caption:
This picture was taken by Lori Mehmen of Orchard, IA taken in her front yard looking east of her house. Picture taken at 9:04 p.m. on June 10th, 2008.
The caption above appears to be the most credible, neither calling the feature a tornado, nor attributing this image to the Little Sioux, IA storm. Rather than a tornado, the image appears to be of a shelf cloud or other feature of a well-structured supercell thunderstorm. Whether a funnel or tornado exists cannot be discerned from this still photograph, as evidence of rotation is not clearly visible.
The image appeared on the heavily-trafficked news website Drudge Report on Friday, June 13th above several headline stories concerning the recent storms and flooding in Iowa, although it was not directly attributed to the Little Sioux, IA storm (view Drudge Report Screen Capture).
Among those falsely spreading the “Little Sioux Boy Scout Camp” attribute, CNN continues to host this image with an improper caption as part of its “citizen journalist” I-Report department; a segment of the CNN website that displays reader-submitted photographs, apparently without verification or vetting of any sort. The image was posted to their website on Friday, June 13th, 2008 with the following caption:
Posted by: Orion5243 // 1 day ago // Omaha, Nebraska. Here is a picture of the Tornado that hit the Boy Scout Camp in Western Iowa.
Although readers have already posted numerous comments regarding this image being improperly attributed to the Little Sioux, IA storm and CNN failing to properly attribute the image to the photographer, Lori Mehmen, the image still appears on their website (direct link) as of midday on Saturday, June 14th.
The National Weather Service has completed their damage survey of the Little Sioux Scout Camp tornado. Becky Griffis, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service office outside of Omaha, rated the tornado as an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. A fund has been set up to aid in the Little Sioux, IA relief effort.
Julie | Jun 15, 2008 | Reply
Sorry, but I think that the picture is totally fake…It has been photoshopped.
Darrell Kirk | Jun 15, 2008 | Reply
An in-depth radio interview with “Life Scout” Hal Emas can be found at: http://www.tornadowitness.com
CyberJyber | Jun 16, 2008 | Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAvTrG9pfb4
I am drediting my video on youtube to this blog for full information, so all of my views will go directly here to allow people read the facts.
thank you for publishing them, & ty for allowing my viewers link to here for the facts.
if this is any way a problem, please mail. ty. enjoy the vid.
tribwarrior | Jun 18, 2008 | Reply
What? Get real, anyone whose from the tornado belt states whose has ever seen a tornado with their own eyes can tell that this is not a tornado, there is no revolution of that cloud, the leading edge of that cell is all wrong for a tornado.
Claire | Jun 19, 2008 | Reply
I’ve never been in an actual toronado. But if that is one . Why is everything around it so still? From what I’ve seen on tv, it’s not like that! So, what gives? Why the lies? Claire
Jessica | Jun 19, 2008 | Reply
I have lived in Arkansas for 15 yrs and have been through a few tornadoes. They are almost always during heavy rain and hail with debris flying everywhere. I see none of that in this pic. In fact it looks like the sun is shining through the trees. I think this has been photo-shopped.
leharris | Jun 20, 2008 | Reply
The cloud formation looks like one I saw on WeatherBug a few weeks ago. The comment from the photographer stated that it looked like it started to come down, but went back up. If it was a tornado, it didn’t touch down. And it was not in this setting. Someone did some real photo doctoring here.
Ken Stuart | Jun 21, 2008 | Reply
THE picture. Does anyone really think that that much time was taken to “photoshop (?)” this startlingly scary photo so that we could all marvel at the bravery or stupidity of the photographer to take such a shot? I wonder if most of the naysayers are more impressed with their own sharp eyes and want others to know of that or persons of integrity articulating that they want no one to get credit for such a picture. As for myself, if my eyesight or my willingness to believe that this is a REAL shot, would doubt the veracity then I would have no willingness to believe most anything else of an unusual nature. Good picture,I was
startled and I didn’t immediately begin to doubt it.
Gary | Jun 21, 2008 | Reply
Yes, Mr. Stuart - It is a good picture, BUT if you have any comprehension of knowledge of tornados, you would immediately know that this is not a tornado. Just a good picture of a thunderstorm. Before you criticize “naysayers” you should do some research yourself to find out what part of a thunderstorm a real tornado comes out of. AND, look closely for nonexistent rotation in this picture. CNN should be ashamed for not doing any checking whatsoever on their own part.
susie | Jun 22, 2008 | Reply
about the picture of the “tornado” Meteorologists have said this is called a mesocyclone cloud, with a wall cloud, no tornado, ..no funnel.. and as some have noticed and you can tell, there is no debris and the trees are not blowing half way to the ground… we live in tornado alley, and have seen a similar looking cloud once.. it was unreal… very similar to this one, but no tornado. susie in Omaha
Darrell Kirk | Jun 22, 2008 | Reply
Yes, Mesocyclone cloud is like you say “unreal” looking. So unreal looking that they could not use it in the movie “Twister” as viewers would call such a device “Hollywood special effects”. Some of them look like a “mother ship”, like a UFO. Quite a meteorological package of severe weather that can last a long time and travel quite a distance.
Darrell Kirk
Tornado Witness Radio
www.tornadowitness.com
Steve Beckman | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Council Bluffs Distributors is holding an on-line fundraiser for the victims of the tornado through August 2008. Visit www.cbdistro.com to show your support. Also visit www.lawlorscustom.com and purchase your “Omaha Cares” T-Shirt.
Sumar | Jun 23, 2008 | Reply
Its not photoshop, its a real picture.
Not of a tornado though, tornadoes are thin and whispy.
If this “cloud” was a hundred times bigger it might look like hurricane center, but its just a thunderstorm.
Steve Yezek | Jul 15, 2008 | Reply
Sorry, BUT THIS PHOTO IS REAL AND NOT PHOTOSHOPED. I was there and have awesome video to prove what this storm was actually like. What you are seeing in the photo in one incredible surfaced base Mesocylone, that had a very nice wall cloud. However, this storm never produced a tornado, but a couple of very brief funnel clouds. Nothing more..