With a severe weather outbreak occurring in Illinois, several "landspouts" have been reported across the state.
According to the National Weather Service, at least three such landspouts have touched down during Thursday's outbreak, dropping down near Springfield and Champaign.
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WATCH HEREOne was reported near Toulon in Stark County, but no damage was reported, according to the National Weather Service.
A second touched down near Emden, and a third was reported near a FedEx facility in Champaign, with no damage reported in either incident.
So what is a “landspout”?
According to an explainer piece from the Denver Post, a landspout develops when air at the surface begins to spin, similar to a “dust devil” or an “eddie.” That spinning air is then sucked upward into a thunderstorm, which can then turn into a landspout.
By comparison, tornadoes form from air rotation within supercell thunderstorms, which then descends to the ground.
Even still, while landspouts are typically weaker, they can still pack a wallop, generating wind speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour at times.
Landspouts are also “typically short-lived,” according to NWS officials.
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