The National Weather Service announced the touchdown of several tornadoes in California on Wednesday.
Jeff Ranieri, chief meteorologist of the NBC Bay Area, said that there were reports of six funnel clouds and four tornadoes in the region. The National Weather Service confirmed two of the tornadoes, which is a rare occurrence in California.
The tornadoes touched down in Northern California during a storm. There was also a report of a twister that was spotted near Sacramento. There were about a dozen homes that were damaged, and the twister left a 300 yard-long path scattered with debris.
Another tornado reportedly hit near Placer County at about 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday. It damaged fences and roofs of about 12 to 20 houses in the area. Fortunately, none of the residents were harmed in the process. According to Rob Baquera, the spokesperson for the fire department, the debris brought about by the tornado stretched to a hundred yards in length.
A tornado was also spotted and recorded in Glenn County by YouTuber Coti Benitez.
Video of tornado forming
TORNADO WARNING extended FOR…CENTRAL GLENN COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA… * UNTIL 445 PM PDT #KTVU pic.twitter.com/Y1HXNVMjLJ
— Mark Tamayo (@MarkTamayoktvu) March 26, 2014
Baquera said that everyone in the affected areas did the right thing by seeking shelter when the tornado landed. He also said that they are in recovery mode as, “there were a few people a bit shaken up as they saw the cloud roll over them.”
Central and Northern California have been experiencing rains and heavy winds. San Francisco also experienced heavy rain in the morning, but the water level is still low, as the state is experiencing drought. Sources say that San Francisco has received less than half of the rainfall it experienced last summer.
Reports indicate that the rains could last through the weekend and even through early next week. Sacramento meteorologist Holly Osborne warned local residents to wear their rain boots and bring their umbrellas, due to the expected unsettling weather.
Image via YouTube