Watch this dark, ominous tornado churn through the dirt in North Dakota

Wednesday afternoon, severe thunderstorms bubbled up over North Dakota and Minnesota. About 1:30 p.m., this tornado touched down near Hatton, N.D., and blasted through dark soil to create one of the more ominous twister scenes we’ve seen so far this year. The video was shot by Valley News in Fargo, N.D.

Here’s the thing about tornadoes — they’re just air! Rapidly spinning, dangerously fast-moving air. If you were able to simulate a tornado in a “clean room,” you wouldn’t be able to see it. The only reason tornadoes have the color they do is because of tiny water droplets (cloud, precipitation) and the ground they’re passing over.