Watch: Man gets up-close video of landspout running through Indiana countryside
A landspout is form of a tornado but is generally weak and is not produced by a supercell thunderstorm. Local meteorologists say landspouts are not uncommon around the Hoosier State.
Landspout towers over Indiana farm amid Tornado Warning
A large landspout was seen spinning near a farm in Delphi, Indiana, on May 8. No damage was observed after the landspout moved through the area. (Credit: Travis Marvin via Storyful)
DELPHI, Ind. – An Indiana man was in the right place at the right time Tuesday and captured video of a large landspout moving through rural areas about an hour’s drive northwest of Indianapolis.
The twister was spotted shortly before 6 p.m., and the National Weather Service office in Indianapolis issued a brief Tornado Warning for the event.
Local meteorologists believe there was enough of a wind boundary layer to help trigger the non-supercell tornado.
According to the NWS, landspouts are a form of a tornado but are generally weak and not produced during severe weather outbreaks. Their circulation tends to be limited to the surface and midlevel, well below the height that a traditional tornado stretches.
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Video from Travis Marvin showed the landspout working through at least one farm, with dirt and other small debris being wrapped up into the funnel.
The Carroll County Emergency Management Agency told the NWS that there were no injuries or damage from the event.
A tornado is assigned a rating from 0 to 5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale to estimate its intensity in terms of damage and destruction caused along the twister’s path. (FOX Weather)
The NWS assigned a value of an EF-U to the twister on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Without damage to inspect, it is virtually impossible for meteorologists to accurately estimate wind gusts associated with the landspout.
WATCH: LANDSPOUT SPOTTED SPINNING SOUTH OF PHOENIX
Typically, tornadoes are ranked EF-0 through EF-5 on the scale, but occasionally, twisters are given a rating of an EF-U when there is too little data or damage for an accurate assessment.
Typically, tornado season runs from May through June in the Hoosier State. So far, in 2023, the Storm Prediction Center has received more than 200 reports of severe weather in Indiana, with more than two dozen tornadoes.
2023 Storm Reports Indiana (FOX Weather)