"Firenado" in California Last Week Produced 140 mph Winds

news image
Special Stories
2 Aug 2018 11:02 PM
The fire whirl in California Thursday, July 26 has been compared to an EF-3 tornado! https://twitter.com/NWSSacramento/status/1025125984465498112 During the evening of Thursday, July 26 the Carr Fire spread uncontrollably and erratically in Shasta County, California near Redding. A "fire whirl" developed where intense heat from wildfires swirls up whipping winds that looks much like a tornado. The whirl during that Thursday evening had estimated winds of 143 miles per hour!  Compare that wind speed to a tornado and you'll enter the rating of an EF-3! There were reports of many trees uprooted and even the bark of trees being ripped off. Imagine all of this happening within an ongoing wildfire. For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Steve Glazier
All Weather News
More
Watching Two Areas In The Atlantic

Watching Two Areas In The Atlantic

Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic o

29 Aug 2026 1:25 AM
Karina & Lowell Named in the Eastern Pacific

Karina & Lowell Named in the Eastern Pacific

Thursday afternoon, two areas of investigatio

29 Aug 2026 1:15 AM
Days of Severe Weather For The Plains

Days of Severe Weather For The Plains

It has been an active summer for portions of

29 Aug 2026 1:10 AM
Extreme Heat In Los Angeles and the Southwest

Extreme Heat In Los Angeles and the Southwest

High pressure continues to dominate the Sout

29 Aug 2026 1:05 AM
East Coast Storm Threat Lingers Friday

East Coast Storm Threat Lingers Friday

Strong storms and flash flooding hammered the

28 Aug 2026 12:40 PM
El Nino Pushes Sharks into Southern California Beaches

El Nino Pushes Sharks into Southern California Beaches

During El Nino, temperatures across the Easte

28 Aug 2026 12:00 PM
Ross Fire Burning West of Fort Worth

Ross Fire Burning West of Fort Worth

A wildfire broke out in the Lone Star State o

27 Aug 2026 11:30 AM