Land Spouts Could Be Seen Across Southern Indiana Today
If you see something resembling a funnel in the air today, there may be no need to panic today, according to Warrick County Emergency Management
Ordinarily when you see a funnel in the sky, it means you need to take shelter - at least in this part of the country, but sometimes those funnels are really rather harmless.
Not All Funnels are Tornadoes
As it turns out, not all funnels in the sky are tornadoes. Sometimes they are a phenomenon known as a land spout, also known as a cold air funnel.
Warrick County Emergency Management Shares Special Weather Report
In a post to Facebook, Warrick County Emergency Management says that it is possible residents in Southern Indiana could witness land spouts today. They say they have been developing underneath some of the rain showers that have moved into the area.
SPECIAL WEATHER REPORT: Land spouts and cold air funnels will be possible... There have been reports of land spouts or cold air funnels today. These funnels are developing underneath showers that have developed along a cold front that is moving south through the region this afternoon. Underneath these showers...spinning columns of air that look like tornadoes may continue to develop. These funnels usually are very brief and weak, and typically do not pose a threat to life or property.
While Rare, They Can Touch the Ground and Cause Low-Level Damages
According to the National Weather Service, while these funnels rarely pose a threat, they can touch ground, causing EF-0 level damage.
Cold air funnels form beneath showers or weak thunderstorms when the air aloft is especially cold. The funnels are most common in the fall and spring when the sun is able to heat up the lower levels of the atmosphere, causing convection to bubble up and form showers, but temperatures around 15,000 to 20,000 feet above the ground are quite cold. Cold air funnels are usually harmless, but on rare occasions they can touch down and cause EF-0 level (winds up to 85 mph) tornado damage.
Be sure you stay safe, and make sure you know what to do in the event of severe weather. Find out the difference between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning, and what to do if you're placed under a warning here.
[Source: Warrick County Emergency Management via Facebook]
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