Tornado or Landspout

[Don Brown]

One suggestion is the funnel cloud may have actually been a “landspout.” Wayne County North Carolina on Monday evening. A friend of mine reported seeing a funnel cloud and reported it to the NWS, according to meteorologists, no rotation was detected in the system, so no tornado warning was issued.

 

[rdale]

Probably not a landspout - more likely a cold air funnel.

What Causes Cold Air Funnels?

 

[Devin Pitts]

Looks like a tornado for sure given the debris cloud. Based on surface obs from Monday it looks like there was a stationary front draped over that area along with weak flow aloft, so I'd assume landspout.

 

[Paul Knightley]

It's a tornado! Of course, tornadoes can develop from low-level mesocyclones, or not, but it's a tornado by the (current) definition of a tornado whether from a mesocyclone or not.

 

[adlyons]

Landspout or not it's still a tornado. "A violently rotating column of air in contact with the cloud and the ground."

 

[rdale]

If it's touching the ground it's a tornado. Given the lack of debris here, and the lack of any damage indicated on the ground, whatever it is - isn't a tornado.

 

[Jeremy Perez]

Wow, sure looks like a debris cloud under that funnel to me. @Don Brown I adjusted the shot for contrast to make it clearer...would you be okay if I posted that?

 

[Paul Knightley]

Wow, sure looks like a debris cloud under that funnel to me. @Don Brown I adjusted the shot for contrast to make it clearer...would you be okay if I posted that?

I agree - I can see a debris cloud too.

 

[rdale]

I'd have to see video to be convinced - but in any event, no damage was detected on the ground and if no damage occurred I'd have a hard time calling that debris from non-existing damage

 

[Paul Knightley]

..unless it's just dust being lofted!

 

[Paul Knightley]

I think this is the same storm - Possible Tornado Spotted Near Mount Olive (PHOTOS)

One of the images shows a dust cloud lower down the funnel.

 

[Matthew Crowther]

The title of this thread needs to be changed. A landspout IS a tornado. Period. This should read "Landspout or mesocyclonic tornado?"

 

[Paul Knightley]

...or 'Non-mesocyclone or mesocyclone tornado?' - let's get rid of 'landspout'!

 

[rdale]

There were quite a few years when landspouts were not

https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WAF-D-14-00058.1

 

[Paul Knightley]

Ah, good times!