PIERRE, S.D.(KCCR)- The National Weather Service in Aberdeen is shedding some light on a funnel cloud that appeared over eastern Hughes County Sunday.  Monday afternoon, photos posted on social media by a Sioux Falls TV station emerged that showed the funnel making contact with the ground, thus confirming a tornado.  Meteorologist Renee Wise says there is a difference.

Wise says photos of funnels are not enough to confirm a tornado.

Wise says the conditions Sunday to form the funnel are not common.

What happened Sunday shows how important storm spotters and “ground truth” is for reporting weather.

Hughes/Stanley County Emergency Management independently sounded outdoor warning sirens at the West Bend Recreation Area upon confirming a funnel was in the area Sunday afternoon.