Weak tornado possible in Sacramento region, weather service says. Is it a threat?
Meteorologists say a weak tornado is possible as an atmospheric river wrings out the remainder of its unfavorable conditions on to Northern California.
The National Weather Service forecast moderate to heavy rain showers on Monday, coupled with a 15 to 30% chance of scattered thunderstorms across the Sacramento Valley, the Delta and the foothills.
The weather service warns that with any thunderstorm comes the chances of rainfall, lightning and small hail. In a Monday weather update posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the agency added the potential for a brief funnel cloud or weak tornado to the list.
What is a weak tornado?
When you hear the word “tornado” you may be thinking of a violently rotating column of destruction.
A weak tornado is nothing like that.
According to the weather service, a weak tornado lasts for a few minutes with wind speeds of 100 mph or less. Meteorologist Kate Forrest with the weather service said if a weak tornado develops in the Sacramento region, the gusts will be similar to what was monitored on Sunday, between 50 to 70 mph.
At least three people are dead after aggressive winds on Sunday bulldozed their way through the Sacramento region.
The weather service said the worst is over for the capital city.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 27,000 customers of Sacramento Municipal Utility District are still without power, according to the agency’s power outage map.
Sacramento County Regional Parks and Sacramento Regional Transit’s light rail services are temporarily shut down as officials assess damages created by the wind.
FUNNEL CLOUDS
Compared to a tornado, a funnel cloud — condensed water droplets shaped into a cone — does not touch the ground nor does it create a visible dust whirl beneath it.
Forrest said a funnel cloud is not destructive the way a tornado can be.
Is a weak tornado possible near my Sacramento home?
Forrest said while thunderstorms could produce a weak tornado, rotating columns of air historically develop in the Sierra Nevada foothills.