...A WEAK TYPE OF TORNADO KNOWN COLLOQUIALLY AS A LANDSPOUT TOUCHED
            DOWN IN SOMERS CONNECTICUT THIS AFTERNOON...
            AT APPROXIMATELY 1 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON...A LANDSPOUT OCCURRED OVER
            SOMERS CONNECTICUT...CAUSING DAMAGE TO A LARGE COMMERCIAL BARN.
            THIS OCCURRED AT THE INTERSECTION OF HALL HILL ROAD AND BRACE ROAD.
            NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
            A VOLUNTEER AMATEUR RADIO COORDINATOR FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER
            SERVICE/S SKYWARN PROGRAM...WITH MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE AT DAMAGE
            ASSESSMENT...WAS ABLE TO DETAIL THE DAMAGE FOR US. BASED ON HIS
            DESCRIPTION AND PHOTOS SENT TO US...AS WELL AS VIDEO IMAGERY FROM A
            LOCAL TELEVISION STATION...THIS WILL BE CALLED AN EF0 ON THE NEW
            ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. WIND SPEEDS WERE APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH. THE
            PATH LENGTH WAS 650 FEET AND PATH WIDTH WAS 60 FEET.  WIND SPEEDS IN
            THE EF0 SCALE RANGE FROM 65 TO 85 MPH. DURATION WAS A MINUTE OR
            LESS. TECHINCALLY IT IS CALLED A TORNADO BECAUSE IT IS A ROTATING
            COLUMN OF AIR THAT IS IN CONTACT WITH BOTH THE GROUND AND A
            CUMULIFORM CONVECTIVE CLOUD.
            THE MIDDLE PORTION OF THE ROOF OF THE BARN WAS LIFTED UPWARD
            ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESSES...THEN PEELED OFF. ACCORDING TO A
            STRUCTURAL ENGINEER AT THE SCENE...THE METAL BRACES ATTACHED TO THE
            ROOF ARE RATED AT BEING ABLE TO WITHSTAND 95 MPH WINDS...BUT THEY
            REMAINED WELL INTACT. DEBRIS COMPRISED MAINLY OF PIECES OF THE TIN
            ROOF AND FOAMY INSULATION FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING WAS LIFTED UP AND
            CARRIED DOWNWIND IN A RELATIVELY NARROW PATH. A FEW WOODEN HURDLES
            ALONG A HORSE EXERCISING TRACK WERE TIPPED OVER IN A CONVERGING
            PATTERN. MOST IMPORTANTLY...THERE WERE FOUR EYEWITNESSES AT THE
            SCENE WHO SAW DIRT SWIRLING UPWARD INTO THE AIR. THAT IS WHEN THE
            FUNNEL BECAME VISIBLE TO THEM.
            LANDSPOUTS FORM DURING THE GROWTH STAGE OF CONVECTIVE CLOUDS AND
            OCCUR IN RELATIVELY DRIER ATMOSPHERES. TODAY...A LINE OF CUMULUS
            CLOUDS ALONG A COLD FRONT WAS VISIBLE ON SATELLITE IMAGERY AT THE
            TIME...BUT THAT WAS THE ONLY MARKER FOR THIS EVENT. THERE WAS NO
            PRECIPITATION ON RADAR AT THE TIME. IN ORDER FOR A LANDSPOUT TO
            FORM...THERE HAS TO BE JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ROTATION IN THE
            BOUNDARY LAYER JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE...THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF
            LOW-LEVEL INSTABILITY...AND ADDED CONVERGENCE SUCH AS WHAT THE COLD
            FRONT PROVIDED. NOT ALL LANDSPOUTS ARE VISIBLE...AND MANY ARE
            SIGHTED AS DEBRIS SWIRLING AT THE SURFACE BEFORE EVENTUALLY FILLING
            IN WITH DEBRIS.
            A VERY SIMILAR EVENT TO THIS OCCURRED ON AUGUST 16 2000 IN ELLINGTON
            CONNECTICUT. A F1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AND ACTUALLY LIFTED UP SMALL
            HORSE TRAILERS AND DRAGGED THEM IN CIRCULAR PATHS.
            THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE THANKS OUR AMATEUR RADIO PARTNER AS
            WELL AS THOSE AT THE SCENE WHO SPOKE WITH HIM.