What Will They Think of Next?

For the first time in the history of the US Weather Service the agency has issued a "fire tornado" warning.

The Reno office of the National Weather Service warned Northern California of a fiery tornado Saturday afternoon that had sprung up near a large, fast-moving wildfire in the Sierra. 

That’s right: A firenado. 

It is the first known issuance of a tornado warning for the climate phenomenon since it burst into California’s consciousness during the deadly Carr Fire in 2018.

Wendell Hohmann, the NWS forecaster who penned the tornado warning said that it was the first time to his knowledge of a tornado warning of this nature. 

“It’s probably the first time it’s been issued outside of a thunderstorm environment,” Hohmann said. 

Just before 3 p.m., Hohmann, working from the Reno forecast office, observed a cloud forming in Lassen County by the 2,300-acre wildfire which started in Sierra County in the Tahoe National Forest. He and his colleagues knew it was capable of forming into a tornado and spreading fire around the area.

Here's the warning, as issued:

“The Loyalton Fire to the east of the Sierra Valley exploded most impressively this afternoon, with a very large pyrocumulus and reports of fire tornadoes.”