Mini-Tornadoes?

We just had a very nice rainstorm here for the little plants I planted yesterday.

A bit of hail, but nothing serious.

But here's the storm, headed south. Usually a rainstorm looks more homogeneous than these filaments. The tannish haze around their lower parts suggests they are kicking up dust. Click on the photo for a much bigger version.

Photo: Cheryl Rofer

There wasn't an extraordinary amount of wind associated with the storm when it passed here. But the hail showed some strength. And these aren't full-up tornadoes, just interesting filaments.