landspout
Weak surface-born twister
A landspout is a type of tornado that forms from the ground up, typically from a developing cumulus cloud rather than from a supercell thunderstorm.
Unlike traditional tornadoes, landspouts don't descend from a rotating mesocyclone—they spin up from surface rotation that gets stretched vertically.
They're generally weaker and shorter-lived than supercell tornadoes: The landspout touched down briefly in the open field before dissipating.
Cone directing flow
- columnVertical structural element
- vortexRotating fluid column
- spiralCurve winding around center
- swirlRotating, curving movement
rotation · tube · rope · narrow · slender · vertical · translucent · wispy
Violent rotating windstorm
- twisterRotating destructive windstorm
- whirlwindViolently rotating air column
- cycloneRotating low-pressure storm system
- fire-whirlRotating column of flames
Heat transfer through movement
- updraftUpward air movement
- cumulusDense, billowing cloud type
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
convection · shear · rotation · columnar · ground-based · localized · fair-weather · boundary
funnel
Cone directing flow
swirl · rotation · tube · rope · narrow · slender · vertical · translucent · wispy
tornado
Violent rotating windstorm
convective
Heat transfer through movement
- updraftUpward air movement
- cumulusDense, billowing cloud type
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
instability · convection · shear · rotation · columnar · ground-based · localized · fair-weather · boundary · outflow
storm-chaser
Person pursuing severe weather
weak · photogenic · visible · dissipate · ephemeral · short-lived · spinning · forecast · warning · plains
dust
Fine settled particles