“Firenado” in California Last Week Produced 140 mph Winds

The fire whirl in California Thursday, July 26 has been compared to an EF-3 tornado!

The NWS & @CAL_FIRE Serious Accident Review Team (SART) are conducting a storm damage survey regarding the large fire whirl that occurred Thursday evening in Redding. Preliminary indicators placed max wind speeds achieved by the fire whirl in excess of 143 mph. #cawx #CarrFire pic.twitter.com/3iRX90lhLJ

— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) August 2, 2018

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