Wikipedia:Today's featured list/August 12, 2024
The U.S. state of California experiences several tornadoes every year, with at least 482 recorded since 1891. Among these are four fire whirls, a type of tornado that develops from a wildfire. California's strongest tornadoes on the Fujita scale (or, after 2007, the Enhanced Fujita scale) have been rated an F3 or EF3, which has occurred three times – two F3 tornadoes in the Greater Los Angeles area in the 1970s, as well as an EF3-equivalent fire whirl (pictured) near Redding in Shasta County that developed within the Carr Fire in 2018. Although less common and not as strong as tornadoes in the central United States, there are regularly tornadoes in three regions of the state: the Los Angeles area, the deserts of Southern California, and the Central Valley. Most tornadoes in California are weak and short-lived, although some can be destructive or notable. (Full list...)