CBS News gets confused about the size of Oklahoma tornado

CBS made a similar tornado-related error nine months ago

CBS then suggested that the tornado had 'the potential' to become massive (CBS News)

The team at CBS News struggled make their mind up about the size of a tornado in Oklahoma, as they posted contradictory statements on Twitter within minutes of each other.

As thunderstorms hit the southern and central plains of America yesterday afternoon, CBS News tweeted out a picture of what it thought to be a 'massive tornado' taking form.

CBS initially desrcibed the tornado as 'massive'. (CBS News)

The news channel then backtracked and described the cloud formation as a 'small tornado' a few minutes later, but with the ‘potential to turn into a massive tornado.’

CBS then suggested that the tornado had 'the potential' to become massive (CBS News)

Without seeing the video clip accompanying the first screenshot, it is difficult to see if the picture just depicts a wall of cloud or another type of cloud formation, but it is not clear that the picture depicts a 'massive tornado taking form'.

Multiple tornadoes were sighted in the central United States yesterday, destroying homes and felling trees, amidst heavy rain which led to flash-flooding.

After a major twister touched down in Oklahoma City, it has been reported that 12 people were injured in the area.

A total of 29 tornado sightings have now been reported across the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and in Oklahoma, with multiple homes destroyed in Oklahoma.

At the time, however, CBS News' reporting of the tornado development was misleading.

The below tweet was posted an hour after the misleading information, and provided evidence of at least one twister, backed up by meteorologists.

CBS then later confirmed that there was a 'Twister' (CBS News)

Nine-months-ago CBS made another tornado-related error.

The channel reported that a man on a boat had been caught by a ‘sideways tornado’, in Maryland.

A ‘sideways tornado’ does not exist and what the boatman spotted was, in fact, a shelf cloud – a common sighting during thunderstorms.

CBS retracted its claim and altered the story after consulting a meteorologist.