Rare tornado touches down in Northern California
Video shows a rare tornado touched down near Vina, California Sunday, but it couldn't be rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
This video captured the moment a tornado briefly touched down on this open field in Tehama County, California, on April 12. No damage or injuries were reported.
An unusual tornado briefly touched down in Northern California on Sunday, marking one of only a handful of tornadoes the state averages per year.
No damage or injuries were reported from the twister in Vina, located in Tehama County, about 60 miles southeast of Redding.
"At 2:05 p.m., video and radar evidence confirmed that there was a brief touchdown of a tornado near Vina," the National Weather Service in Sacramento said.
Because there was no damage to help determine strength, the tornado will be classifies as an EF-U (unknown) on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Unlike Tornado Alley, where most tornadoes are spotted in the spring, California can get a tornado any time of year.
Due to the influence of cold offshore waters, complex topography and dry deserts, tornadoes are rare in California, with an average of only seven reported per year. Recent above-normal years include 2025 (eight tornado reports), 2023 (10), 2020 (eight) and 2019 (14).
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