CHICAGO — A tornado touched down within city limits Tuesday for the first time in a decade, according to the National Weather Service.
The landspout formed between 3:48 p.m. and 3:58 p.m. on the city's Southwest Side, near where Cermak Road intersects Ogden Avenue.
RELATED: Tornado That Hit Chicago Tuesday Was 'Weak,' And This Is Why
Check out this incredible video posted by @WeatherIzzi:
Video of #landspout #tornado in Chicago today, taken NB I-55 b/t Pulaski & Cicero, likely on ground S of 26th St pic.twitter.com/EsvwDx8XDG
— ENI (@WeatherIzzi) August 10, 2016
The National Weather Service tweeted these wild snapshots photographed by Melanie Harnacke, an observer with the Federal Aviation Administration:
And these photos were taken from Willis Tower:
New photos of Tuesday's landspout taken from the Willis Tower. Courtesy David Harpe. #tornado #Chicago pic.twitter.com/rLp8gWk2cA
— Mike Hamernik (@MikeHamernik) August 10, 2016
As of Tuesday night, no damage had been reported to the National Weather Service, but neighborhood folks were urged to report any destruction discovered in the coming days.
No damage reported with landspout #tornado in SW #Chicago this aftn. If you know of any, please let us know! #ilwx pic.twitter.com/RRAOnQSNUf
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) August 10, 2016
The last time a tornado landed in city limits was Sept. 22, 2006, when a landspout touched down on the campus of Loyola University Chicago north of Devon Avenue and became a waterspout over the lake, according to the Tribune.
Chicagoans took to Twitter Tuesday night to share thoughts on the twirling band of clouds. Others were less impressed.
@NWSChicago this counts as a tornado? #NotImpressed pic.twitter.com/8jHHhRAF2S
— andruuu (@bear34love) August 10, 2016
The National Severe Storms Laboratory defines a landspout as "a tornado with a narrow, rope-like condensation funnel" that usually forms as a thunderstorm cloud grows.
"In the case of the Chicago landspout," the lab said, "there was no rain shower or thunderstorm, just cumulus clouds along the lake breeze."
How rare is a landspout in a large urban place like Chicago? Illinois Storm Chasers, a Plainfield-based weather group, tried to explain in a Facebook post after news of the Tuesday's tornado:
"To see them around here is rare, to see it in the middle of the metro is mind blowing," they said. "They can produce damage and are not harmless, but are more often than not undetected in these circumstances."
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