Rare Tornado Hits Stanislaus County Town, Damages Buildings
DENAIR (CBS13) - The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado did indeed touch down in Denair Sunday afternoon.
Authorities say the tornado hit near Zeering Road in Denair just before 2 p.m. and then headed east out of town. The tornado damaged some houses and trees, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.
Half of this garage flattened by tornado in Denair ...the other half is on other side of house @CBSSacramento pic.twitter.com/QHY9BRnYm7
— Kelly Ryan (@kellyinmedia) November 16, 2015
A church roof was also damaged, deputies say. No one was inside the church at the time, the pastor says.
No injuries due to the tornado have been reported. The sheriff's department does not have an official number yet on how many buildings were damaged.
New video frm Juan Carranza shows Denair, CA #tornado making contact with the ground. https://t.co/U6aCID1lPB #cawx pic.twitter.com/7O8Y4vH2V2
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) November 16, 2015
Authorities say it has been at least several years since the last tornado they can remember hitting the area.
"This is absolutely rare for Stanislaus County," said Sgt. Anthony Bejaran with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.
The National Weather Service says eyewitness reports and video evidence confirm that the event was indeed a tornado. However, the tornado's strength rating will be determined on Monday when a survey team takes a look at the scene.
Power was cut to about 1,700 people in Denair due to the tornado. Most people had their power restored by Sunday evening.