Chicago Sees First Tornado In A Decade
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago had its first tornado in a ten years on Tuesday, but it wasn't the kind of funnel cloud associated with a thunderstorm, and it didn't cause any major damage.
The National Weather Service said a landspout formed sometime between 3:45 and 4 p.m. Tuesday near Ogden and Cicero avenues.
According to the National Weather Service, a landspout is a narrow, ropelike condensation funnel that forms while a thunderstorm cloud is still growing.
AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Thompson said it formed on a lake breeze boundary.
"The breeze comes off of the lake at the surface. The wind's coming out of the east, but just above the surface, the wind's coming from different directions. It leads to some rotation, and all you need is a little lift. It helps to pull this rotating air upward, and that causes a funnel to form," he said.
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A National Weather Service observer spotted the landspout while on duty at Midway International Airport, about four miles away.
There were no reports of damage from the landspout.
The National Weather Service said it was the first tornado in Chicago city limits since a brief F-0 tornado on the Loyola University campus in September 2006. That tornado moved out onto the lake and became a waterspout.
