STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY FRANK HAGGERTY

You thought the gloppy snow the size of golf balls that fell Tuesday afternoon was pretty nifty?

Check out these photos of a “Snownado” on Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain from Frank Haggerty.

Haggerty took the shots from Elkhorn looking towards Bald Mountain’s Bowls while he was snowshoeing with his wife Liz on Jan. 26, 2018. And his friend Craven Young insisted he share the photos with Eye on Sun Valley.

“It was a jaw dropping experience for us and all who have seen these photos,” said Haggerty.

Frank and Liz had ascended to 6,600 feet on a ridge southeast of Ketchum in the Independence Gulch area when they saw a black cloud over Christmas Ridge turn into a funnel. It sat there awhile as they snapped shot after shot.

“Friends seeing the photo said it was interesting as filmmaker Warren Miller has passed away earlier in the week and it was sitting right over his favorite ski run,” said Haggerty. “It was a wow moment for us.

In case you're wondering, Idaho generally gets about one verified tornado a year, according to Alana Jensen of Idaho National Laboratory's Environmental Surveillance Education and Research program. The Gem State's mountains typically block winds before they can get in enough of a dither to create a funnel.