in other news...

Nothing to do with tornadoes, but just had to share this. It looks like a special effect from a sci-fi movie, but it's real, and astonishing:

(click for hi-res)

"Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera acquired this image of Phoenix hanging from its parachute as it descended to the Martian surface. Shown here is a 10 kilometer (6 mile) diameter crater informally called "Heimdall," and an improved full-resolution image of the parachute and lander. Although it appears that Phoenix is descending into the crater, it is actually about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) in front of the crater."

More:
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/