This is the first tornado CNN's Ed Lavandera has seen.

Usually reporters spend a good chunk of their careers chasing tornadoes and never see one.  I was one of those guys until today.

But I didn’t chase the tornado that blew right past my office window in downtown Dallas.  Watching the tornado pass within two miles of our building was a surreal sight.

The tornado looked like it was trying to become a bigger storm and gain strength.  It spun violently and whipped up debris. I could see powerline transformers explode.

Then it slowly started to fall apart it never grew into a massive tornado, thankfully.  Even though this was a small storm, some of the ground-level pictures we’re now seeing suggest the twister packed a strong punch and was more powerful than it looked like from my vantage point.

Read more coverage about the tornadoes in Dallas, Texas

For about 20 minutes, you could see onlookers all over downtown Dallas mesmerized by the storm that was passing by at what seemed like arm’s reach.

We’ve seen some of the local television stations report damages of damaged rooftops. The brunt of the storm appears to have hit a mostly industrial section in west Dallas.

Since I saw the tornado from my office window, I couldn't hear it. So sadly, I can't tell you it sounded like a freight train.

I’ve now seen a tornado and grateful it didn’t grow into a monster storm.