Watch: Massive landspout swirls near homes in New Mexico
Amanda Bratcher told Storyful she recorded a video of the landspout outside her home, describing it as a “huge" dust devil that developed into a landspout.
Massive landspout threatens homes in New Mexico
A landspout barreled through Carlsbad, New Mexico, on Thursday, May 29, amid severe weather in the area.
CARLSBAD, N.M. -- A dramatic scene unfolded in New Mexico Thursday as a severe thunderstorm triggered a large landspout that swirled near some homes in Carlsbad.
Amanda Bratcher told Storyful she recorded a video of the landspout outside her home, describing it as a "huge" dust devil that developed into a landspout.
Landspouts are a type of tornado that forms differently.
Classic tornadoes form in supercell thunderstorms that contain their own rotating updraft. Landspouts occur when you have colliding winds at the surface that will begin to make their own vortex, and then a developing thunderstorm passes overhead.
Landspout in New Mexico on May 29, 2025.
(Amanda Bratcher via Storyful / FOX Weather)
Updrafts from the passing thunderstorm will pull this rotating vortex skyward and make a tornado-like appearance.
Landspouts tend to be pretty weak compared to traditional tornadoes but can still be strong enough to cause damage and warrant caution.
In this case, there was no reported damage or injuries.