WELL, YESTERDAY, STORM COMMAND WAS OUT TRACKING SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN THE SKY. LANDSPOUTS YOU SEE IT THERE? OUR FIELD METEOROLOGIST, MICHAEL ARMSTRONG CAPTURED THIS. HE JOINS US NOW LIVE IN STUDIO. MIKE, I’M SURE A LOT OF OKLAHOMANS SAW THESE. AND THOUGHT, IS THAT A TORNADO? SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS? YEAH. WE’RE GOING TO BREAK ALL THE SCIENCE DOWN. SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE THEY ALL INVOLVE AIR THAT’S SPINNING THE KEY IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS CAUSING THAT ROTATION. SO LANDSPOUTS THEY CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY AND THEY’RE OFTEN SPOTTED IN THE SUMMER IN THE HIGH PLAINS. A LOT OF TIMES YOU’LL SEE THEM THERE. THEY’RE A LOT OF TIMES THEY’RE REALLY, REALLY TALL. AND SOMETIMES THEY’RE TRANSPARENT AS WELL. YOU’LL SEE TRACTORS OUT, SOMETIMES PLOWING A FIELD, AND YOU’LL SEE AND YOU’LL NOTICE, SOMETIMES THEY’LL EVEN SPIN IN THAT. THAT’S OFTEN A DUST DEVIL. OKAY. SO LET’S GO AHEAD AND GO. I THINK WE HAVE MAY GO AHEAD AND GO ON AND TAKE THE GRAPHICS. I THINK WE HAD SOME OTHER VIDEO, BUT LET’S TAKE THE GRAPHICS AND WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT BARON RIGHT NOW ON WEATHER FIVE. IF WE COULD PLEASE. SO HERE’S THE THING WITH DUST DEVILS I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THIS. HERE’S THE SETUP. THE SUN IS HEATING THE SURFACE WARM AIR STARTS TO RISE AND YOU GET AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE FORMING DOWN NEAR THE SURFACE. RIGHT. WELL, IT STARTS TO RISE. AND AS THAT AIR BEGINS ACCELERATING TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE LOW, THEN THE HEATING HELPS SUSTAIN THE CIRCULATION AS IT GROWS UPWARD. SO COMPARING THAT NOW TO A TORNADO, WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO ACTUALLY IS YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A DEEP, PERSISTENT ROTATING THUNDERSTORM UPDRAFT THAT’S WHERE IT’S DIFFERENT, RIGHT? THE DUST DEVILS GROUND BASED INSTEAD OF ATTACHED TO A MESOCYCLONE. NOW LET’S LOOK AT A LANDSPOUT. BOUNDARIES ARE OFTEN IMPORTANT. SO YOU GET JUST A LITTLE WEAK BOUNDARY WHERE YOU GET SOME OH DIFFERENCE IN TEMP HEATING OR MOISTURE OR EVEN ELEVATION CHANGE. AND THAT CAN ACTUALLY START THE AND THEN NON THUNDERSTORM CLOUDS FORM. THAT’S THE KEY RIGHT. YOU GOT SOME RISING AIR BUT IT’S NOT A BIG STORM. IN FACT A LOT OF TIMES YOU DON’T HAVE ANY LIGHTNING OR EVEN HEAVY RAIN WITH IT. BUT THAT UPDRAFT LIFTS AND FORMS A LANDSPOUT SO IT’S MUCH TALLER THAN A DUST DEVIL. AND THEN LOOK AT THE TORNADO ONCE AGAIN. YEAH, THAT SO VERY, VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROCESSES GOING IN INTO FORMING THESE. SO BUT YOU KNOW NON THUNDERSTORM CLOUDS YOU CAN STILL GET LANDSPOUTS. AND HERE’S THE INTERESTING THING OKAY. SO DUST DEVILS THEY ARE CONSIDERED THEY’RE NOT CONSIDERED TORNADOES. YOU GO ON TO LANDSPOUTS THOUGH. AND DAMON IT’S PRETTY INTERESTING. LANDSPOUTS ARE ACTUALLY CLASSIFIED AS TORNADOES EVEN THOUGH THEY AREN’T AS STRONG AND THEY DON’T DO DAMAGE LIKE WE’RE USED TO SEEING WITH THEM. SO IT GETS REALLY TOUGH, LIKE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ALL THESE THINGS THAT ROTATE AND HOW YOU CLASSIFY THEM AND AL
KOCO 5 Storm Command captures landspouts
KOCO 5 Meteorologist Michael Armstrong explains the differences between landspouts, dust devils, and tornadoes after Storm Command recently captured footage of a landspout.
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Updated: 12:20 PM CDT Sep 8, 2024
KOCO 5 Meteorologist Michael Armstrong explains the differences between landspouts, dust devils, and tornadoes after Storm Command recently captured footage of a landspout.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here."Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference because they all involve air that's spinning," Armstrong said."The key is to understand what is causing that rotation," he added.Landspouts can happen anywhere in the country and are often spotted in the summer in the High Plains.They often appear tall and skinny and sometimes are even transparent, but winds are usually less than 50 mph.Dust devils are different.Armstrong showed a video from Jacksonville, Florida, where a dust devil developed right on top of a baseball diamond."The sun heats the air at the surface and the air rises while low pressure develops," Armstrong explained.>> Download the KOCO 5 App"The air begins accelerating toward the center of the low, and then the heating helps sustain the circulation as it grows upward," he continued.Comparing that to a tornado, Armstrong noted that a tornado is connected to a deep rotating thunderstorm, whereas a dust devil is ground-based only."Boundaries are often an important ingredient," Armstrong said, referring to landspout formation."They occur where winds change directions due to heating, moisture, or elevation changes. That can start the air spinning," he added."A low-pressure area forms and air begins to rise. But in this case, non-thunderstorm clouds or weak thunderstorms stretch the circulation upward," Armstrong explained."Dust devils are not tornadoes," Armstrong concluded."But landspouts are considered tornadoes, even though they aren't as strong and don't do the damage we're used to seeing with tornadoes," he said.Top HeadlinesRossen roundup: Top consumer stories from the past weekMother of mass shooting suspect call Apalachee High School with warning after getting alarming text, grandfather saysNew details released in deaths of two children found in car in NormanWATCH: Bob Stoops gets emotional during Toby Keith tribute at OU football game‘Pretty gut-wrenching’: Neighbors react after deadly shooting, suspect search in Norman
OKLAHOMA CITY — KOCO 5 Meteorologist Michael Armstrong explains the differences between landspouts, dust devils, and tornadoes after Storm Command recently captured footage of a landspout.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
"Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference because they all involve air that's spinning," Armstrong said.
"The key is to understand what is causing that rotation," he added.
Landspouts can happen anywhere in the country and are often spotted in the summer in the High Plains.
They often appear tall and skinny and sometimes are even transparent, but winds are usually less than 50 mph.
Dust devils are different.
Armstrong showed a video from Jacksonville, Florida, where a dust devil developed right on top of a baseball diamond.
"The sun heats the air at the surface and the air rises while low pressure develops," Armstrong explained.
>> Download the KOCO 5 App
"The air begins accelerating toward the center of the low, and then the heating helps sustain the circulation as it grows upward," he continued.
Comparing that to a tornado, Armstrong noted that a tornado is connected to a deep rotating thunderstorm, whereas a dust devil is ground-based only.
"Boundaries are often an important ingredient," Armstrong said, referring to landspout formation.
"They occur where winds change directions due to heating, moisture, or elevation changes. That can start the air spinning," he added.
"A low-pressure area forms and air begins to rise. But in this case, non-thunderstorm clouds or weak thunderstorms stretch the circulation upward," Armstrong explained.
"Dust devils are not tornadoes," Armstrong concluded.
"But landspouts are considered tornadoes, even though they aren't as strong and don't do the damage we're used to seeing with tornadoes," he said.
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