Landspout tornado caught on camera as it swirled near Ohio highway
The EF-0 tornado damaged a home and destroyed a garage but no injuries were reported.
Terrifying drive in Ohio
This landspout tornado paralleled the highway in Leipsic, Ohio, on Tuesday, terrifying several drivers.
LEIPSIC, Ohio – A landspout tornado that spun up near Leipsic, Ohio, on Tuesday, was caught on camera by several drivers and passengers on a nearby highway.
According to the National Weather Service, the 50-yard-wide twister was short-lived – only a minute – and it traveled less than a quarter mile. The wind hit 70 mph, and the NWS rated it an EF-0.
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Landspout tornado in Ohio
The passenger in this car caught a landspout tornado on camera near Leipsic, Ohio, on Tuesday. The NWS rated it EF-0.
That was enough power in the small tornado to damage a home and garage. The wind ripped off roof and siding just before 3 p.m. local time.
"A poorly built attached garage collapsed, and debris could be seen scattered to the northeast of the home," officials stated in the tornado survey.
The landspout then dissipated in a field just beyond the home. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office reported no injuries.
No warnings or watches were in place at the time.
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'Total sadness': Landspout tornado rips apart family's home in Ohio
Linda Berry spoke to FOX Weather about the moment she realized a tornado destroyed her sister's home in Leipsic, Ohio, and how her sister is working to rebuild. She had only lived in the home for less than a year. March 6, 2024.
What is a landspout tornado?
Landspouts are a type of tornado that forms differently from typical tornadoes.
Most twisters form in supercell thunderstorms that contain their own rotating updraft. Landspouts occur when winds collide at the surface and make their own vortex as a thunderstorm passes overhead. Updrafts from the passing thunderstorm will pull this rotating vortex skyward and create a tornado-like appearance.
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Landspouts tend to be pretty weak compared to traditional tornadoes but can still be strong enough to cause damage.