Tornado damages structures, trees in Butte County Tuesday
OROVILLE - After surveying an area in Butte County on Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed an EF-1 tornado caused damage on Tuesday.
The NWS Sacramento said the tornado damaged trees and structures on the north side of Oroville during Tuesday's storm. Several carports and shingles on roofs were damaged and numerous trees were uprooted or had limbs snapped off.
They estimate winds hit 90 mph and the tornado traveled just under half a mile with a width of about 90 yards.
The tornado hit the ground at about 5:40 p.m. near La Palma Drive and Table Mountain Boulevard. It traveled north-northeast for about two minutes before lifting.
At the time, radar picked up a line of strong thunderstorms with gusty winds, pea size hail and heavy rain, the NWS said.
No tornado warnings were in effect, as the NWS said it can be difficult to detect weak tornadoes using radar.
The EF Scale rates tornado categories from 0 to 5. EF-1 will see wind speeds between 86 mph and 110 mph, whereas an EF-5 will see wind speeds of more than 200 mph.
