A tornado in California is not as rare as you might think.
The latest storm to wallop Northern California whipped up a small tornado that downed trees and fences near Sacramento. Here’s what you need to know about twisters in California, which occur regularly but in limited numbers and force.
The twister that touched down south of the state capital registered EF0, at the lowest edge of the tornado scale that goes up to EF5. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale measures the intensity of tornadoes in the U.S. and Canada based on damage caused.
No injuries were reported from the tornado, which was on the ground for 3/8 of a mile and carved a path of minor damage about 100 yards wide.
Most California twisters are in the EF0-EF1 range and are less damaging and deadly than their Midwest counterparts. The strongest ever recorded in California were EF3s — one in Riverside County in Aug. 1973 and another in Orange County in Feb. 1978.
The best plan is to always be prepared. Mother nature doesn’t wait for you and she is very unpredictable.
