A wildfire in northern California erupted on Saturday at least one fire tornado – or “firenado” – prompting the National Water Service to issue a tornado warning as the state continues a heat wave and wildfire.
“Extremely dangerous fire behavior noted on the #LoyaltonFire! Rotating columns and potential for fireworks, ”NWS Reno tweeted on Saturday.
Tasha Joy
(@ That1GirlTasha)Fire Tornado today outside Chilcoot and Hallelujah Junction California. This was intense and scary !!!! @TheTXWXchaser @ spahn711 @JimCantore @ReedTimmerAccu @jeffpiotrowski #CAwx #LoyaltonFire #firenado # FireSeasons2020 pic.twitter.com/vfwrTKK02n
NWS Reno later said that the “tornado pyrocumulus has weakened and the immediate threat of tornado activity has decreased for the #LoyaltonFire, “But warned that” extreme fire behavior will continue this evening w / new Fire Tornadoes & strong seizures above 60 mph will remain possible. Stay away from the fire area. ”
The Loyalton fire in Lassen county, northeast of Sacramento, burned 20,000 acres and was contained 5% by early Sunday, according to CNN.
NWS Reno
(@NWSReno)Extremely dangerous fire behavior noted on the #LoyaltonFire! Rotating columns and potential for fire vortices. Respondents must exercise extreme caution !!! https://t.co/DYghar7yiz
Large wildfires can heat up the air so much that enormous clouds form. In strong winds these can turn and sometimes produce a tornado. A fire tornado caught on film killed one person in 2018.
Officials in California, Oregon and Colorado have been battling a series of burn wounds that together have burned more than 100,000 acres amid an intense hot wave.
Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue
(@TMFPD)⚠️STOP CALLING. #TMFR Brush Engine 44 on stage earlier today #LoyaltonFire jumped HWY 395 with cars stuck on the road. The crew provided protection and rescued the cars from harmful damage. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/iDTWzXo7Y8
A severe lightning storm also hit the San Francisco Bay Area early Sunday morning, a rare weather event for August that started wildfires in the region.
The NWS on Sunday extended a red fire flag for “critical fire water levels” for the Bay Area until Monday morning.
“Any lightning strikes are likely to lead to a new start to the current heat wave,” warned NWS preachers. “A secondary pulse of moisture and instability arrives later Sunday in early Monday.”
Joe Vazquez
(@joenewsman)Lightning strikes twice over San Francisco Bay in sunshine. #true #storm #Lightening pic.twitter.com/miDWFcmLy7
The storm came as California experienced a hot wave of three-digit temperatures, and thousands of households in the state suffered short-term power outages – the first rolling outages in nearly 20 years.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO ISO) in California said in a statement that the short-rolling blackouts throughout the state were caused by the failure of a power plant and the loss of wind energy, and power was largely restored on Saturday night.
California’s ISO ordered Friday the first rolling outage in nearly 20 years on Friday when utilities ran across the state to hide their power loads when using air conditioning shots.
The three largest utilities of the state of Pacific Gas & Electric, Edison in Southern California and San Diego Gas and Electric switched off power to more than 410,000 homes and businesses for about an hour at a time until the emergency declaration ended nearly four hours later.
The heat wave has not only brought brutally high temperatures, but also increased danger of wildfire and fears of coronavirus spreading as people fly to beaches and parks for relief.
John B
(@bolhuijo)Lightning strikes the hills of Fremont as the sun rises #CAwx #Lightening pic.twitter.com/KbTU9j2okG
Records were set in Lake Elsinore, where the mercury hit 114F; Riverside at 109F and Gilroy at 108F, according to the National Weather Service. The elevation in Borrego Springs, in the desert northeast of San Diego, was 118F. Coastal cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles swell at 86F and 98F degrees, respectively.
Several cities opened cooling centers, but with limited capacity due to social distance requirements. The state has seen more than 613,000 cases of coronavirus.
‘If it is possible at home. If it feels too hot indoors, look for cooler temps outside, keep physical distance, wear a face mask, ”tweeted the San Francisco Emergency Management Department.
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