Tornado strikes Northern California, uprooting trees and damaging cars
Tornado strikes Northern California (unsplash.com)
On Tuesday evening, a tornado with wind speeds reaching up to 90 mph swept through Butte County, causing the uprooting of trees in Oroville, according to CBS News.
"The tornado hit the ground at about 5:40 p.m. near La Palma Drive and Table Mountain Boulevard. It traveled north-northeast for about two minutes before lifting," the media says.
It happened while thunderstorms swept through Northern California with strong winds, pea-size hail, and heavy rain. Despite the conditions, there was no tornado warning in effect, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms had been anticipated for several days leading up to the storms on Tuesday.
Damage from the tornado included damaged shingles on roofs, several damaged carports, uprooted trees, snapped tree limbs, and a toppled free-standing light pole. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The tornado was classified as EF-1 according to the Enhanced Fujita scale, used by weather experts to classify tornadoes based on intensity and damage, with EF-5 being the most damaging and EF-0 being the least damaging while still qualifying as a tornado. The tornado's width was measured at 90 yards with a path length of 0.4 miles.
Storms and tornados in the U.S.
In early December, at least six people lost their lives due to tornadoes and powerful storms that swept through the state of Tennessee. The natural disaster primarily affected the southern regions of the state. As a result, many homes were destroyed, and approximately 60,000 people were left without power. Dozens of people sustained injuries.
Mayor Joe Pitts of Clarksville declared a state of emergency along with implementing a curfew.
