Updated January 5, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
The first tornado of 2025 in the United States was recorded in California, a state that is not used to seeing tornadoes, much less the first of the year.
It was following a violent thunderstorm that this first tornado formed near Paynes Creek, in Tehama County, Northern California. Fortunately, no material damage or human loss was recorded.
A stroke of luck?
It is uncommon to observe tornadoes in January. In fact, it is one of the months of the year when there are the fewest. Tornadoes are more likely to form in late spring or summer, when heat sets in along with a healthy dose of humidity from the tropics. Between 1991 and 2010, in the United States, there was an average of 276 tornadoes in the month of May alone.
According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), there would have been only three tornadoes in 2024 in the state of California. To compare, there have been at least 152 tornadoes in Oklahoma for the same period of time, an entire year. Note, however, that the official results for 2024 have not yet been revealed, which could put this figure on the rise.
In addition to the fact that it is unusual to observe tornadoes in California, it is even rarer for them to be captured on camera. Indeed, this first tornado sighting is something of a roll of the dice. It was a combination of circumstances that made it possible to identify it, thanks to a camera that was in the path of the tornado. With these images, it was possible to watch it and follow its evolution.
Twice rather than once
The year 2024 ended in a unique way in another California city, San Francisco. This city is also not known for its tornadoes. However, on December 14, it also experienced an unusual event: it recorded its first tornado alert in its history.
It is all the more fascinating that these two unusual events happened three weeks apart! A real coincidence!
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