NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The region's winter weather took an odd twist, literally, on Monday when a tornado was spotted touching down in neighboring Colusa County.

The National Weather Service in Sacramento issued a tornado warning Monday for north central Colusa and south central Glenn counties shortly after trained weather spotters saw the tornado in an open area west of Maxwell in north central Colusa County at about 3 p.m.

The tornado was reported to be moving east toward Delevan at a rate of 15 miles per hour, the National Weather Service reported.

The National Weather Service's tornado watch stayed in effect until 4:15 p.m. Monday.

The agency said later Monday that the tornado did not do any damage and was subsequently classified as an “F0,” the lowest ranking on the enhanced Fujita Scale.

Tornadoes in that rating are estimated to have wind speeds less than 73 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.

At about the same time as the Colusa County tornado was spotted, a funnel cloud was reported near Highway 25 south of Gilroy, according to another National Weather Service Statement.

The agency said that funnel in Gilroy retreated back into the cloud before it touched ground.

Such funnel clouds usually extend a few hundred feet down from the base of the parent cloud, rotate and then dissipate within a few minutes, according to the statement. However, anyone who sees a funnel cloud is still urged to seek shelter inside a sturdy and safe structure.

Monday's tornado news comes just days after what was believed to be a small tornado touched down long enough to hit a business and some homes in Santa Rosa, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

That tornado, which hit last Friday, left damage in its wake, including tearing off a large section of a commercial building's roof, the newspaper reported.

 

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