At least three tornadoes touched down in California on April 21 between 14:10 and 17:15 local time (LT). The National Weather Service (NWS) assessed damage near Biola and Clovis in Fresno County and west of Atwater in Merced County.<\/p>\n
The first tornado was reported near Biola, touching down at around 14:10 LT, approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) south-southeast of Biola. It was rated an EF-0, with peak winds of 115 km\/h (70 mph).<\/p>\n
It covered a distance of around 45 m (148 feet) before lifting off at 14:12 LT and had a maximum path width of 4.5 m (15 feet). No damage associated with the tornado was found in the area.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an EF-1 tornado touched down 13.7 km (8.5 miles) northeast of Clovis at 17:09 LT, with peak winds of 153 km\/h (95 mph). The tornado covered a distance of approximately 69 m (226 feet) before lifting off 16.9 km (10.5 miles) northeast of Clovis at 17:16 LT. It had a maximum path width of approximately 805 m (2 641 feet).<\/p>\n
The twister snapped two hardwood trees in half, flipped over a barn along the Tollhouse road, and damaged multiple trees and power lines, according to the NWS\u2019 local storm reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The third tornado was reported in Merced County, touching down approximately 4.8 km (3 miles) west of Atwater at 15:30 LT. It was rated an EF-1 with peak winds of 177 km\/h (110 mph). The twister covered a distance of around 91 m (299 feet) before lifting off 4.0 km (2.5 miles) west of Atwater at 15:39 LT.<\/p>\n This tornado lifted up debris and damaged roofs, leaving roofing material twisted on a power line approximately 30 m (100 feet) above a residence. Pieces of roofing were flung as far as 365 m (1 200 feet) from the house.<\/p>\n This triple tornado event is rare in California, as the state only sees a few tornadoes throughout the year. According to the NWS Hanford office, their forecast area has only had three days with three or more tornadoes occurring since records began in 1955.<\/p>\n References:<\/p>\n