Landspout tornado spotted on Chicago's Southwest Side
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A landspout tornado formed over Chicago's Southwest Side Tuesday afternoon.
A FAA contract observer for Midway Airport spotted the landspout near Ogden and Cicero avenues around 3:48 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
Many people on Chicago's South and Southwest side snapped photos and recorded video of the funnel, which dissipated after about 10 minutes.
This type of tornado develop differently than tornadoes that form in a supercell thunderstorm, which people hear about more often. Landspouts are narrow, rope-like condensation funnels that form along a boundary while a thunderstorm cloud is still developing, from the ground up, the weather service said. Tuesday's landspout formed along a lake breeze.
Landspout tornadoes are not as violent as tornadoes that form during severe storms. Most are weak, but some can produce winds that measure more than 110 mph. No damage was reported Tuesday.
NWS said the landspout was the first tornado to form within city limits since a brief F-0 tornado formed at Loyola University on Sept. 22, 2006.
