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EF1 tornado in Sutter County, California

Tornado October 22, 2012 · Sutter County, California

EF1
Rating
2.0 mi
Path length
100 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 100 yards (0.06 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

The Yuba City Tornado: Supercells developed behind the cold front along a north-south boundary in the middle of the Central Valley, where both instability and shear were large. The Sutter County Sheriff and Fire Department reported a tornado at approximately 2pm (PST), which was the first reported tornado of the day. The NWS storm survey team determined a touchdown at Mallard Lake Golf Center along Highway 99 just south of Yuba City. The tornado traveled northeast toward Oswald and Barry Roads and north along Railroad Ave. Estimated wind speeds were up to 100mph. The tornado snapped several trees at the golf course, damaged 30-40 small walnut and peach trees in a nearby orchard, lifted shingles on multiple homes, damaged a car port, blew down several fences, damaged several businesses, and lifted an outbuilding off its foundation and turned it upside down.

The wider storm

A strong low pressure system moved through northern California, bringing several feet of snow to the mountains, significant rainfall to the valley and foothills, and tornadic supercells in the valley.

Began near Yuba City South (39.0621, -121.6300).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

4 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 411507. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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