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Why 'Tornado Fresno' is Trending: California Weather Explained

Tornadoes in California? A cold upper-level low is bringing rare severe thunderstorms and a tornado threat to the Central Valley today. Here is the science.

Why 'Tornado Fresno' is Trending on Your Feed Tonight

If you opened up your phone this afternoon, you probably saw something that made you do a double-take. "Tornado Fresno" is trending right at the top of the search charts with tens of thousands of folks looking for answers.

I know what you are thinking. California is supposed to be sunshine, beaches, and maybe the occasional earthquake. Tornadoes belong out here in the Plains or down in Dixie Alley, right? Well, the atmosphere does not really care about state lines or stereotypes.

The Storm Prediction Center actually highlighted this exact setup earlier today. They issued a Marginal Risk for severe weather right down the California Central Valley. They specifically mentioned the chance for a tornado or two from Sacramento down through Fresno and Modesto.

So how does a tornado threat end up in the Golden State?

It all comes down to a big, stubborn pool of cold air in the upper atmosphere. We call it a cutoff low. Yesterday, this system pushed onshore and brought heavy rain to the coast. It even kicked off a major winter storm warning up in the Sierra Nevada, where they are measuring snow in feet instead of inches. Today, that freezing cold air aloft is sitting right over the Central Valley.

Here is how the science works. When the California sun heats up the valley floor, that warm surface air desperately wants to rise. Because the air a few miles above it is unusually cold, that rising air shoots up fast. It creates what we call low-topped thunderstorms. They are not the towering 50,000-foot monsters we see in Oklahoma, but they pack a punch. If the wind near the surface is turning just right as it funnels through the valley, you get a spin-up.

Now, we need to keep things in perspective. These are not the mile-wide wedges that make national news for days. We are usually talking about brief, weak tornadoes or landspouts. But a weak tornado can still snap trees, take the roof off a barn, or flip a high-profile vehicle on Highway 99. It is absolutely enough to ruin your Tuesday.

It just goes to show that weather can surprise you no matter your zip code. We spend so much time talking about the severe setups in the Midwest and the South that it is easy to forget the West Coast gets its own brand of wild weather. If you have friends or family out in the San Joaquin Valley tonight, give them a call. They are probably watching the sky right now.

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