I was met with a lot of sceptism when I mentioned my tornado theory a while back, stating that I believe tornados are created on the ground and grow up, not the other way around.

I came to this belief by performing a simple experiment.

Take a tall glass of water, or milk, or gin (or whatever your fancy) and try stirring it up from the top. The liquid splashes all over.

Now try stiring it (clockwise if in the N. hemisphere) from the bottom. What you get it the equivalent of a tornado in form and shape.

So why do these big funnels come down and touch the earth? IMHO, it depends upon where they originated. All of us have seen mini tornados on windy days, just getting started on the ground. I believe some of these evolve into larger and then huge tornados that wipe out halves of towns in the tornado belt, in which I used to live. They are black not because of dark clouds only, but with all the muck they've sucked up from wherever they originated, and wherever they have touched down upon along the way.

Just my little science experiment at home, which I now hear has been given credence by meterologists. Anyone want to chime in?

Cathryn