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Funnel Clouds Offer Scary Sight Over Homestead

HOMESTEAD (CBSMiami) - It wasn't actually a tornado, but it was enough to get people in South Miami-Dade excited Friday night as just before sunset, a finger of wind stretched groundward near Homestead. It looked dramatic, but apparently did no damage.

Photos of the ominous cloud were sent by CBS4 viewers reporting a tornado near Homestead, but CBS4 meteorologist David Bernard said the cloud was technically a funnel cloud, not a tornado.

For a cloud like the one snapped in South Miami-Dade to be a tornado, it must touch the ground, and there was no evidence that this could did so. A spokesman for the Homestead police department confirmed there was no report of a touchdown or damage.

Clouds that drop down from the sky but don't touch the ground, even those that look dramatic, are technically funnel clouds, still impressive to see but not an official tornado.

No warning was issued for the clouds, which were apparently part of a single isolated thunderstorm over the South Miami-Dade area.

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