LANDSPOUTS

The landspout, or non supercell tornado, is a different breed of tornado. The formation of a non-supercell tornado is similar to that of a waterspout. They form as winds swirl at the surface, similar to a dust devil. As an updraft builds, this swirling air can be pulled up into the updraft. As this occurs, the swirling air is stretched and tightened, which causes the rotating winds to increase in speed, similar to the way a figure skater pulls her arms in close to her body as she spins and the spin becomes faster. Often, landspouts will be visible on the ground first in the form of a debris cloud. Then as the tornado matures, the debris is pulled skyward into the cloud base making it visible from the cloud base to the ground. They often last in excess of 15 minutes and have caused F3 damage.

The following images are video captures from various non-supercell I have seen since 1987.

 

Landspout near Watkins, CO Aug 8, 1996.	Series of shots of a landspout near Barr Lake, CO on June 24, 1988.
Notice the narrow cumulus line this funnel came out of.	The funnel takes on a snaking appearance.
The debris cloud is visible, but a funnel is not visible to the ground. Common with landspouts.	Wide angle shot of the Barr Lake spout showing the funnel and the debris cloud.
July 23, 1997 spout near Bennett, CO. This landspout lasted nearly 30 minutes.	Check out the strange separated funnel in this shot taken near Greeley, CO on June 10, 1997.
Twin funnels in this picture. Can you find them??	One of my favorite spouts taken from my front door on July 7, 1987.
Landspout or not??? Actually this was a gustnado on the outflow boundary of a large HP supercell.	Landspout on Aug 8, 1998 near Bennett, CO.
Look close, as there a three landspouts side by side in this shot near Bennett, CO .	Another landspout from this same system near Bennett, CO.
June 21, 1998 landspout near eastern Aurora, CO.	Small landspout near Byers, CO on July 24, 1998.
Again, shot from my front door on July 7, 1987.	Landspout near Prospect Valley, CO on June 26, 1992. Photo copyrighted by Greg Stumpf, NSSL, used with permission.
Developing landspout near Wakita, Oklahoma on May 24, 1998. Photo and copyright by Dave Lewison, used with permission.	Small landspout near Meade, KS on May 31, 1999. The supercell later produced a large tornado near Sitka, KS.
Same shot from Meade, KS altered to enhance the outline of the landspout better.	Same landspout as it matures. Notice the column filling with dirt. Photo and copyright by Dave Lewison, used with permission.
Cool earring funnel near Limon, CO.	Here is another shot of the same funnel from a wide angle shot.
Shot of the Oshkosh multi-spout event courtesy of Gordon McNorton. Copyright by Gordon McNorton. Notice the developing  spouts on the western flank (looking north).	One of the most fantastic multi-spout shots I have ever seen. Used by permission from Gordon McNorton. Copyright by Gordon McNorton. Oshkosh, NE on Aug 17, 1999.