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Svr Wx threat March 24-26th 2024

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Apparently DDC missed another tornado warning tonight. Early reports were saying it was just a landspout but the videos and pictures I've seen thus far sure look like low end tornado damage.

It being a landspout would be no excuse, since a landspout *is* a tornado by definition since it meets all the criteria (unlike, say, a 'gustnado'), although they are less likely to be strong/violent than mesocyclonic tornadoes. I don't recall there being anything in the NWS bylaws stating you can only warn for mesocyclonic tornadoes...
 

buckeye05

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Apparently DDC missed another tornado warning tonight. Early reports were saying it was just a landspout but the videos and pictures I've seen thus far sure look like low end tornado damage.
Their rebuttal: “No”

All kidding aside, a landspout IS a low-end tornado and is every bit as eligible for a Tornado Warning as a mesocyclonic one.

I think the word “landspout” sometimes gets misused as a “cover our butts” term to make missed warnings seem more excusable. The Montebello, CA EF1 last year was falsely slapped with the “landspout” label despite clearly being a mesocyclonic tornado spawned by a low topped supercell. Warning was missed on that one too. The 2015 Moore EF2 was “a mix of straight line winds and gustnadoes” until it was undeniable that a strong tornado had occurred. Missed warning as well.

After a while you start to see a bit of a pattern of diminutive/dismissive wording when it comes to damaging tornadoes that weren’t warned.
 
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