VIDEO: ‘Tornado-like’ funnel appears over Salt Lake County
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) — Salt Lake County residents looking out their windows on Thursday afternoon may have noticed something a little ominous: A tornado-like funnel coming out of the stormy clouds above.
But there is no reason to panic. ABC4 Meteorologist Thomas Geboy said what residents are seeing is just a landspout.
What is a landspout?
A landspout is a much weaker tornado that is not associated with the rotation of the storm it comes from. The National Weather Service explained that these cold-air funnels occur when a large flow of low pressure begins to circulate amid unstable conditions.
When this circulating airflow hits an updraft – which Geboy said can commonly happen in southern Salt Lake County due to the surrounding mountains – the funnel tilts vertically, creating a cloudy, narrow, tornado-like funnel.
Landspouts are much less violent than an actual supercell tornado. The National Weather Service said their rotation is usually small, shallow and shortlived.
These spouts usually form during summer-time thunderstorms, most often in Wyoming, eastern Colorado and New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. While they may not be around for long and are weaker than a fully formed tornado, landspouts can still be strong enough to produce damage with strong triple-digit winds.
Thursday’s landspout in Utah
There is not much detail into the landspout that appeared in the Herriman area on Thursday. Residents in the area tell ABC4.com the spout formed around 11 a.m. over south Salt Lake County. The Iowa State University Environmental Mesonet reported the velocity of the landspout was “weak” or had “no rotation.”
The National Weather Service said the spout touched the ground by kicking up dust in a construction area but the landspout did not cause any damage.
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