Do You Know the Difference Between a Tornado and a Landspout?

We are all too familiar with tornadoes in Texas. When spring rolls around, we will start seeing storms move through our area that will bring a lot of rain, dangerous lightning and tornadoes both big and small. We also know what a waterspout is. Chances are you've probably seen one. But have you heard of a landspout? I'll be honest, I haven't so I had to do some crack research and find out for myself so I could share that information with you.

Landspout Versus Tornado

A tornado forms when a rotation of cool and warm air begins rotating inside of a thunderstorm. That rotation can then lower itself from the storm in the shape of a funnel. That funnel can then lower to the ground becoming a tornado. These tornadoes can be very small and cause little to no damage or become big enough to cause wide spread damage and even become deadly.

A landspout is similar to a tornado except that it forms when the high and low pressure winds on the ground begin rotating about the same time that a thunderstorm is forming and rises to the storm.

You can see what a landspout looks like in this video from northeast Austin captured by a resident.

A landspout does not last long but has the possibility to cause some minor damage as it can produce winds between 40 to 60 mph. The video below explains very well how a landspout can form.

With the recent eclipse over East Texas, and learning what a landspout is, you can't help but be in awe of this Earth that God created for us.

These are the 10 Deadliest Tornadoes to Have Struck Texas Since 1900

Tornadoes are nothing new to us in East Texas or throughout the state of Texas. Being on the bottom end of Tornado Alley means we've seen some powerful tornadoes strike in our state.

Gallery Credit: YouTube, dissolve.com, newspapers.com