An exceptionally strong storm system swept through the Central Valley this week, bringing with it a rare weather phenomenon more common in the plains of Kansas than California: an outbreak of tornadoes.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, four twisters touched down in a single day, including in areas close to Fresno and Atwater, a remarkable number in a state that sees an average of just nine tornadoes per year. The National Weather Service confirmed the fourth tornado in a report on Thursday<\/a>, finding that the strongest twister measured<\/a> as an EF1<\/a> with winds peaking at 110 mph.\u00a0<\/p>\n Surveillance video<\/a>\u00a0shows one of the twisters demolishing a structure at a market in Terra Bella. And photos released by the weather service show roofing material on power lines after being pulled off buildings. \u201cIt\u2019s very unusual to have four tornadoes in one day,\u201d she told SFGATE. Wilson explained that specific weather conditions on Tuesday, including wind direction and an elevated amount of cape, or energy for the storm, made the tornadoes more likely to form.<\/p>\n \u201cThe air had a great propensity to spin,\u201d she said of Tuesday\u2019s weather patterns.<\/p>\n In the U.S., tornadoes are often associated with \u201cTornado Alley\u201d<\/a>, or the flatlands of the plains. On Thursday, a massive tornado<\/a> that touched down in Oklahoma destroyed multiple homes and led to the temporary shutdown of a U.S. Air Force base.<\/p>\n But this weather phenomenon can pop up anywhere in the U.S. The violent storms are increasingly striking the southeastern states, and experts warn a changing climate is\u00a0leading<\/a> to more volatility, making dangerous storms more common in California.\u00a0<\/p>\n Peter Roopnarine, the geology curator for the California Academy of Sciences, said California already is seeing signs of climate impacts as winter temperatures increase and precipitation becomes more variable.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe should probably expect a higher frequency of strong storms,\u201d Roopnarine told SFGATE.<\/p>\n
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Weather service meteorologist Emily Wilson said this is only the third time since 1955 that more than three tornadoes were reported in the area in a single day.\u00a0<\/p>\n