July 2015 Story: Landspout tornado spotted near Ruidoso

There is a long-standing myth the Borderland doesn’t get tornadoes. This simply isn’t true.

Tornadoes generally form near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm, and one happened in our region just last Sunday. While we may not experience tornadoes with the same frequency as other places in the United States we are not safe from tornadoes.

Diane Megchelsen Blair caught footage of a landspout tornado touching down on the Sierra Blanca peak on July 26.

Landspouts form when boundaries merge near a thunderstorm.

What makes this different than the “typical” tornado, is how they develop and what they are attached to.

Unlike super cell tornadoes, they do not move from base of the cloud to the ground.

They actually develop near the surface and work their way up.

National Weather Service meteorologist John Fausett says landspout tornadoes can cause severe damage and it is important to have an evacuation plan.

“Seek shelter in an interior room the more walls between you and the tornado the better, away from windows in a small room so probably in a bathroom or a closet and cover yourself,Fausett said.

We have settled the debate tornadoes can occur in our region.
Click on this link for tornado safety tips. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/index.shtml